The United States is imposing visa restrictions on individuals in Nicaragua, including owners of transportation companies, travel agencies and tour operators, whom the State Department accuses of enabling illegal immigration to the US.
The measures target “owners, executives, and senior officials of transportation companies, travel agencies, and tour operators who provide services to assist aliens intending to illegally immigrate to the United States”, the agency said, adding that such actions are taken under Section 212(a)(3)(C) of the Immigration and Nationality Act.
The State Department said it has revoked some visas and imposed other restrictions, citing investigations showing that “the entities these individuals represent facilitated travel through Nicaragua, enabled by the Nicaraguan dictatorship’s permissive-by-design migration policies that destabilize the region and push illegal immigration to the United States”.
The Trump administration has intensified a crackdown on illegal immigration and ended temporary protected status for Nicaragua, which provided work authorisation and deportation protection. In April, the US imposed visa restrictions on over 250 Nicaraguan officials over human rights abuses.
