WASHINGTON – The US State Department announced on Monday that it was imposing visa restrictions on the owners and other employees of India-based travel agencies that it claims knowingly facilitate illegal migration to the United States.
According to a statement from department spokesperson Tammy Bruce, an unspecified number of unnamed people linked to Indian travel agencies are facing visa bans under the Immigration and Nationality Act based on information gathered by the US mission to India.
Washington frequently issues visa bans without disclosing the identities of those targeted.
“We will continue to take steps to impose visa restrictions on travel agency owners, executives, and senior officials in order to disrupt alien smuggling networks,” Bruce said, without going into detail about how the travel agents had facilitated illegal migration.
The move comes amid President Donald Trump’s broad crackdown on immigration to the United States, as well as efforts to deport undocumented immigrants already in the country.
The US embassy in New Delhi has repeatedly warned Indian nationals visiting the US not to overstay their authorized stay in the country, warning that doing so would result in deportation and a permanent ban from entering the country.