Designation of Tanzanian Police Force Official for Involvement in Gross Violations of Human Rights
PRESS STATEMENT
MARCO RUBIO, SECRETARY OF STATE
MAY 21, 2026
The Department of State is designating Tanzanian Police Force (TPF) Senior Assistant Commissioner Faustine Jackson Mafwele under Section 7031(c) based on credible information that he was involved in gross violations of human rights. One year ago, members of the TPF detained, tortured, and sexually assaulted Ugandan Agather Atuhaire and Kenyan Boniface Mwangi, who were in Dar es Salaam to observe the judicial trial of opposition leader Tundu Lissu. This designation prohibits Mafwele from entering the United States.
This public designation is made under Section 7031(c) of the National Security, Department of State, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2026 (Div. F, P.L. 119-75).
Category: Visa Restrictions
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Restoring American Seafood Competitiveness with New Global Tool
MEDIA NOTE
MAY 20, 2026
On May 20, Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau announced the first use of a new tool in the Department’s more assertive global approach to protecting the U.S. fishing industry and global fish resources. The Department is taking steps to impose visa restrictions on 26 foreign nationals responsible for, complicit in, facilitating, or benefiting from illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing and IUU fishing-related activities.
This move marks a significant step towards ending impunity for individuals associated with IUU fishing and fulfilling the promise President Trump made to the American people in his 2025 Executive Order to Restore American Seafood Competitiveness. As announced by the Deputy Secretary on X, among the actions taken against these individuals, the Trump Administration has revoked the visas of former Argentine official Pablo Ferrara for corrupt activities that facilitated IUU fishing and undermined fair market access for American fishermen and Mexican national Jose Ali Amador for the illegal harvest of an endangered fish species, fueling trafficking operations along the U.S. border.The United States and every other country that engages in fishing must effectively manage its fisheries, and the actions of these individuals who seek to ignore the rules for short-term, selfish gain at the expense of U.S. consumers and producers must stop. With these visa restrictions we are sending a clear message: people who seek to enrich themselves through IUU fishing are not welcome in the United States.
These actions are being taken pursuant to Section 212(a)(3)(C) of the Immigration and Nationality Act.
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Sorry, it’s an acronym we used back in my days at Dow Jones – but it beats spelling it out….
Announcing Steps to Impose Visa Restrictions on Family Members or Close Personal or Business Associates of Sinaloa Cartel Affiliates
PRESS STATEMENT
MARCO RUBIO, SECRETARY OF STATE
APRIL 20, 2026
President Trump is using the full power of the United States to eradicate narco-terrorist cartels operating in our hemisphere. Today, the Department of State is taking steps to impose visa restrictions on 75 individuals who are family members or close personal or business associates of persons linked to the Sinaloa Cartel sanctioned under Executive Order 14059, Imposing Sanctions on Foreign Persons Involved in the Global Illicit Drug Trade (E.O. 14059).
Today’s actions underscore the Trump Administration’s commitment to protecting the American people from the Sinaloa Cartel, a designated Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO). The Sinaloa Cartel smuggles illicit fentanyl, which the President designated as a Weapon of Mass Destruction, and other deadly drugs that harm American communities. Imposing visa restrictions on drug traffickers, their family members, and close personal and business associates will not only prevent their entry into our nation, but also serve as a deterrent to continued illicit activities.
Update: Claude tells me the names of these persons, who they’re associated with, and how, is not yet public. I will keep an eye out for it, produce the list for you, and see whether or not there is any known involvement in the cartel’s activities – or if it’s just guilt by association.
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Announcement of Visa Restriction Policy Targeting Individuals Undermining Peace in the Great Lakes Region
PRESS STATEMENT
MARCO RUBIO, SECRETARY OF STATE
MARCH 6, 2026
The Department of State will impose visa restrictions on several senior Rwandan officials for fueling instability in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). By continuing to support M23 and violating the Washington Accords, these individuals are driving violence and undermining the stability of the entire Great Lakes Region.
The United States expects all parties to the Washington Accords to fully implement their commitments, including by the DRC immediately neutralizing the FDLR armed group and its associated groups and Rwanda withdrawing its troops and military equipment from the DRC. Only then will the immense economic potential of the Great Lakes region be realized. Individuals believed to be responsible for, complicit in, or directly or indirectly engaged in undermining or impeding a sustainable peace in the Great Lakes region will face consequences.
This visa restriction policy is pursuant to Section 212(a)(3)(C) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, which authorizes the Secretary of State to render inadmissible any alien whose entry into the Unites States “would have potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences for the United States.” Certain family members may also be covered by these restrictions.
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Visa Restrictions on Chilean Nationals Undermining Regional Security
PRESS STATEMENT
MARCO RUBIO, SECRETARY OF STATE
FEBRUARY 20, 2026
The United States is committed to countering attempts to undermine regional security and subvert sovereignty. Today, the Department of State is announcing it has taken steps to impose visa restrictions on three Chilean government officials who knowingly directed, authorized, funded, provided significant support to, and/or carried out activities that compromised critical telecommunications infrastructure and undermined regional security in our hemisphere. These individuals and their immediate family members will be generally ineligible for entry into the United States, and any U.S. visas held by them have been revoked.
These actions reaffirm President Trump’s commitment to protect America’s economic prosperity and national security interests in our region. We continue to promote accountability for Chilean nationals who intentionally work to destabilize our hemisphere. In its twilight, the Boric government’s legacy shall be further tarnished by actions that undermine regional security at the ultimate expense of the Chilean people. We look forward to advancing shared priorities, including those that strengthen security in our hemisphere, with the incoming Kast Administration.
We continue to use all available tools to promote safety and security of our region.
These actions are being taken pursuant to Section 212(a)(3)(C) and Section 221(i) of the Immigration and Nationality Act.
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PRESS STATEMENT
THOMAS “TOMMY” PIGOTT, PRINCIPAL DEPUTY SPOKESPERSON
FEBRUARY 19, 2026
The Department of State has taken steps to impose visa restrictions on individuals in Uzbekistan identified as knowingly facilitating illegal immigration to our nation. This action applies to executives and senior officials at two Uzbekistan-based visa facilitation companies who knowingly provided travel services designed primarily for aliens intending to illegally immigrate to the United States. These actions are taken under Section 212(a)(3)(C) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), which generally bars entry to those whose entry or proposed activities would have potentially serious adverse U.S. foreign policy consequences.
Investigations indicate that individuals in Uzbekistan actively coordinated transportation for aliens, including minors, intending to illegally immigrate to the United States through airports and across borders to transit points in Central America, where many were later encountered attempting to enter the United States illegally.
The United States will not tolerate any attempts to undermine our national security or immigration laws. The Department will ensure those who profit from illegal immigration face consequences, and we will aggressively target smuggling networks to protect our borders and national security. The United States reaffirms its deep appreciation to the Government of Uzbekistan for its close cooperation to shut down the criminal networks that facilitate illegal immigration to the United States.