The US State Department has imposed visa restrictions on owners and other staff at India-based travel agencies. It said on Monday that they knowingly facilitate illegal migration to the United States.
"Mission India's Consular Affairs and Diplomatic Security Service work every day across our Embassy and Consulates to actively identify and target those engaged in facilitating illegal immigration and human smuggling and trafficking operations,”department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said in a statement.
He added that an unspecified number of unnamed people linked to travel agencies in India were being hit with visa bans under the Immigration and Nationality Act based on information gathered by the US mission to India.
The Department of State is “taking steps today to impose visa restrictions on owners, executives, and senior officials of travel agencies based and operating in India for knowingly facilitating illegal immigration to the United States," the statement noted further. It also vowed to keep on taking steps to impose visa restrictions against owners, executives and senior officials of travel agencies to "cut off alien smuggling networks."
The move comes amid US President Donald Trump's broad crackdown on migration to the country and efforts to deport undocumented immigrants in the country.
"Our immigration policy aims not only to inform foreign nationals about the dangers of illegal immigration to the United States but also to hold accountable individuals who violate our laws, including facilitators of illegal immigration,” the State Department said, adding that enforcing US immigration laws and policies is critical to upholding the rule of law and protecting Americans.
It said this visa restriction policy is global and even applies to individuals who otherwise qualify for the Visa Waiver Programme.
On asked about the travel agencies and people against whom visa restrictions have been effected, a US embassy official in New Delhi denied further details on the same to PTI.
"We cannot provide a list of individuals or travel agencies the United States is taking steps to impose visa restrictions on due to visa record confidentiality," the news agency quoted the official.
Meanwhile, the US Embassy in India keeps on warning individuals against overstaying in the US. "If you remain in the United States beyond your authorised period of stay, you could be deported and could face a permanent ban on travelling to the United States in the future," the embassy posted on May 17.
Days back, it has also reiterated that those found guilty of visa fraud will face permanent bans from entering the United States. New visa restriction policies apply to individuals and foreign governments who facilitate illegal immigration, it added.
