U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on Sept. 4 a new visa restriction policy against Central American nationals controlled by Beijing, calling the move a response to “China’s corrupt influence” in the region.
Rubio said in a statement that the visa restriction applies to “Central American nationals who, while in Central American countries and intentionally acting on behalf of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), knowingly direct, authorize, fund, provide significant support to, or carry out activities that undermine the rule of law in Central America.”
He did not identify anyone by name or provide concrete examples of the actions that prompted the new policy. However, he said that “a number” of Central Americans who “have previously engaged in such activities” will now be ineligible to enter the United States….