The United States has expanded its visa restriction policy to bar individuals in the Western Hemisphere who support adversarial powers seeking to undermine American interests in the region.
The US Department of State announced the move on Thursday, describing it as a key step aligned with President Donald Trump’s national security priorities to counter foreign influence over strategic assets.
The policy targets nationals of countries in the hemisphere who, while operating within the region, “knowingly direct, authorise, fund, or provide significant support to” activities adversarial to the US. These include enabling adversaries to acquire or control key assets and strategic resources, destabilising regional security efforts, undermining American economic interests, and conducting influence operations aimed at eroding national sovereignty and stability.
“These individuals – and their immediate family members – will be generally ineligible for entry into the United States,” the State Department stated.
It added: “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.”
The restrictions are being applied under Section 212(a)(3)(C) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, which allows the US to deny entry to those whose presence could harm its foreign policy interests.
The announcement builds on the Trump administration’s broader efforts since January 2025 to reassert US dominance in the Western Hemisphere. In January 2026, US forces conducted strikes in Caracas, Venezuela, capturing President Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores, who was brought to the United States to face drug-trafficking charges.
Trump had stated at the time that the US would temporarily “run” Venezuela until a stable transition could occur, while opening its oil sector to American companies and working to prevent China, Russia and Iran from gaining further footholds.
The latest visa measure signals a continued hardline approach against perceived proxy activities by adversarial states within the Americas. No names of the 26 affected individuals or their nationalities were disclosed in the statement.
Analysts see the policy as part of a wider strategy to safeguard regional stability and economic interests amid geopolitical competition. The State Department has not indicated whether additional names will be added to the restricted list in the coming weeks.
