State Department Imposes Visa Restrictions on 21 Colombians Over Corruption and Narcotrafficking: Seven Named, Families Covered
The U.S. Department of State said in a press statement on Oct. 22 that Secretary of State Marco Rubio is imposing visa restrictions on 21 individuals in Colombia under the policy announced Sept. 28 pursuant to Section 212(a)(3)(C) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, as part of a campaign against corruption and narcotrafficking. The restrictions also apply to the named individuals' family members.
Seven individuals were named: Ricardo Roa Barragán, former president of Ecopetrol; Yahir Fernando Acuña Cardales, mayor of Sincelejo; Wadith Alberto Manzur Imbett, senator-elect and former member of the House of Representatives; Karen Astrith Manrique Olarte, representative-elect; Julio Elias Chagüi Flórez, former senator; Liliana Esther Bitar Castilla, former senator; and José Ignacio Mesa Betancur, former congressman and former mayor of Envigado.
The department said the move builds on commitments from the Doral Summit in March and the Sept. 22 Shield of the Americas leaders' statement. Under Section 212(a)(3)(C), the Secretary of State may determine that an alien's entry would have potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences for the United States.
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：哥伦比亚首都 Bogotá 市区（Panorámica de Usaquen, Bogotá D.C，作者：Alejandro Turola，CC0，经 Wikimedia Commons）。Photo: Bogotá, Colombia (Alejandro Turola, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons).
