The U.S. imposed visa sanctions on four countries that refuse to accept deported nationals, Politico reports. According to the Department of Homeland Security, Cambodia, Eritrea, Guinea, and Sierra Leone are being sanctioned for “lack of cooperation” on deportations.
The most severe sanction, which is a pause in the issuance of B visas for business and tourism, will be used against Eritrea. In Cambodia, high-level government officials and their immediate family members will be denied access to business and tourism travel.
In Guinea, the issuance of student and cultural exchange visas to certain government officials and family members will be suspended, along with B visas. In Sierra Leone, officials in the country’s foreign ministry and immigration offices will be denied business and tourist visas.
An executive order signed at the beginning of the year by President Donald Trump directed the Secretary of State to enter negotiations with “recalcitrant countries” that wouldn’t accept deported nationals from the U.S. If the countries failed to comply, the executive order said, DHS and State must impose sanctions.
“The United States itself routinely cooperates with foreign governments in documenting and accepting its citizens when asked, as do the majority of countries in the world. However, these countries have failed to do so, and that one-way street ends with these sanctions.” said acting DHS Secretary Elaine Duke in a related announcement.
Politico adds that sanctions have been used sparingly in the past, but have emerged as a weapon in the president’s immigration crackdown. DHS spokesperson David Lapan said in late August that 12 countries were flagged as uncooperative. That list, which predated the Trump administration, included China, Cuba, Vietnam, Laos, Iran, Guinea, Cambodia, Eritrea, Burma, Morocco, Hong Kong and South Sudan.
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