US Imposes Visa Bans on India Travel Agents

The U.S. State Department announced on Monday it will be placing visa restrictions on owners, executives and senior officials of travel agencies in India.

The State Department said the Indian agencies are "knowingly facilitating illegal immigration" to the United States and that it is imposing the visa restrictions in an attempt to cut off "alien smuggling networks."

The actions are being taken pursuant to section 212(a)(3)(C) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, which denies admission to any immigrants the secretary of state "has reasonable ground to believe would have potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences."

The visa restrictions apply to all owners, executives and senior officials of India-based travel agencies, even individuals who qualify for the Visa Waiver Program.

Mission India's Consular Affairs and Diplomatic Security Service is working to identify and target individuals facilitating illegal immigration, trafficking and human smuggling.

On Saturday, the U.S. Embassy in India warned those traveling from India to the U.S. not to stay beyond the authorized return date.

"If you remain in the United States beyond your authorized period of stay, you could be deported and could face a permanent ban on traveling to the United States in the future," the embassy wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

The embassy announced on Wednesday that the U.S. government is launching an interagency effort to combat fraud and illegal immigration.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio began discussing irregular migration with Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar at the beginning of President Donald Trump's second term. Rubio and Jaishankar met on January 21 to discuss migration, U.S.-India relations and other topics.

State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce, in a statement: "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. Enforcing U.S. immigration laws and policies is critical to upholding the rule of law and protecting Americans."

U.S. Embassy in India, on X: "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."

The visa restrictions are the latest development in the Trump administration's ongoing effort to reduce illegal immigration into the U.S.