The United States has threatened to deny or revoke visas of more than 15 foreign nationals accused of organising and financing migrant caravans travelling through Central America and Mexico towards its southern border.
The restrictions, imposed by the administration of President Donald Trump, extend Washington’s immigration crackdown beyond migrants to individuals accused of recruiting, coordinating and directing groups making the journey to the United States.
The State Department said investigations established that the individuals were involved in organising or facilitating the movement of large groups of migrants towards the US border.
However, it did not disclose their identities, nationalities, locations or the specific migrant caravans linked to them.
State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said anyone targeted under the policy, as well as caravan participants seeking to travel to the United States, would face additional scrutiny.
He said the department could refuse visa applications or revoke existing visas where necessary.
The restrictions are being implemented under a visa policy announced by Secretary of State Marco Rubio on March 5, 2025, targeting foreign officials and other individuals accused of knowingly facilitating illegal immigration into the United States.
The policy covers immigration and customs officials, as well as airport and port authorities suspected of helping migrants travel towards the US border or failing to enforce immigration laws.
The latest action comes amid renewed movement of migrant groups from Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala through Mexico.
One group, identified as Fe y Esperanza 2, reportedly left southern Mexico on October 20 with more than 600 migrants, many of them from Central America.
The group travelled along Mexico’s Pacific coastal highway under the watch of security and immigration authorities, with some members seeking permission to continue towards northern Mexico by bus.
Another migrant group, Fe y Esperanza, had also travelled from Honduras through Guatemala into southern Mexico in September.
It remains unclear whether the latest American visa restrictions are connected to either group.
Migrant caravans have travelled towards the US border for years, although many are broken up or intercepted by Mexican authorities before reaching the frontier.
A 2023 study by Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy identified 30 such caravans between 2017 and the end of 2022, describing them as a relatively small part of overall migration into the United States.
The researchers also noted that travelling in groups offered migrants some protection during journeys that could stretch across hundreds of miles.
The State Department has not explained what evidence was used to identify those facing restrictions or whether the investigations involved cooperation with Mexican and Central American authorities.
It also did not clarify whether people providing humanitarian or legal assistance to migrants could be affected by the policy’s broad definition of support for migrant caravans.
