US State Department expands visa restriction policy in Western Hemisphere

The U.S. Department of State on Thursday announced the expansion of its visa restriction policy to protect U.S. interests in the Western Hemisphere, saying that it has imposed visa restrictions on 26 individuals, reported Xinhua. "The Department of State is announcing a significant expansion of an existing visa restriction policy that targets those working on behalf of U.S. adversaries to undermine our national interests in our hemisphere including regional security and democratic sovereignty," according to a statement. "This expanded policy enables us to restrict U.S. visas for nationals of countries in our region who, while within Western Hemisphere countries and while intentionally acting on behalf of adversarial countries, their agents, or enterprises, knowingly direct, authorize, fund, or provide significant support to, or carry out activities that are adversarial to and undermine America's interests in our hemisphere," the statement said. "To demonstrate our commitment to this expanded policy, we have taken steps to impose visa restrictions on 26 individuals across our hemisphere who have engaged in these activities," it added. The statement did not provide a list of the 26 individuals, nor did it specify which countries are considered "adversarial countries."

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