The Trump administration has revoked or restricted U.S. visas for officials and other individuals in Bolivia, Colombia and Peru, accusing them of corruption, drug-trafficking activity or actions that undermine democratically elected governments.
Bolivia accounted for most of the people publicly named, including Attorney General Roger Mariaca, former Justice Minister Iván Manolo Lima and constitutional magistrate Israel Ramiro Campero, alongside prosecutors, a judge and a police colonel. Nine additional Bolivians who did not currently hold visas were declared ineligible to receive them in the future, EFE reported.
The State Department said, through a statement, that the restrictions were imposed under provisions of U.S. immigration law covering foreign nationals whose activities involving corruption or drug trafficking undermine democratic governments.
In Mariaca's case, Washington separately accused him of involvement in "significant corruption" and said his actions jeopardized President Donald Trump's efforts against what the administration calls "narcoterrorism."
The measures also target two Colombians: businessman Euclides Antonio Torres and Sen. Martha Isabel Peralta, president of the Indigenous and Social Alternative Movement, or MAIS. In Peru, Washington imposed restrictions on judge Juan Carlos Núñez. Two unnamed Ecuadorians and their immediate family members were also covered by the measures.
"The message from President Trump and Secretary Rubio is clear: corrupt officials — and the criminals they protect — are not welcome in the United States," the State Department added.
The restrictions come weeks after Secretary of State Marco Rubio traveled to Colombia, Ecuador and Peru as Washington expanded regional cooperation against organized crime. During the trip, Rubio promoted the Shield of the Americas, the U.S.-backed coalition focused on transnational criminal groups.
Colombia joined the coalition and secured a U.S. security assistance pledge, while Peru agreed to join the bloc and Ecuador expanded counternarcotics cooperation with Washington. The trip also produced agreements involving critical minerals and nuclear energy as the administration sought closer ties with the three governments.
