U.S. Imposes Visa Restrictions on 21 Colombians and 40 Bolivians Over Corruption and Narcotics, Including Former State Oil Company President and Incumbent Representative

United States

The U.S. Department of State announced on October 22 that it is imposing visa restrictions on 21 Colombian individuals and 40 Bolivian individuals identified as undermining democratic governments in the Western Hemisphere through corruption and narcotics trafficking. Issued in two statements under the name of Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the measures bar entry into the United States. The names and titles of seven Colombians and 15 Bolivians were made public, spanning diverse roles including a former president of a state-owned oil company, sitting members of the Chamber of Representatives, and a former attorney general. The U.S. Department of State explained the action as a follow-up to the new visa policy announced on September 28 and the fulfillment of commitments made in the Shield of the Americas leaders' statement.

21 Colombians and 40 Bolivians restricted, with names of seven and 15 publicly released

The U.S. Department of State opened both statements with the same sentence, stating that it is expanding its campaign against corruption and narcotics trafficking in the region. It then noted that it was imposing visa restrictions under Section 212(a)(3)(C) of the Immigration and Nationality Act on 21 individuals in Colombia and 40 individuals in Bolivia. U.S. Department of State Spokesperson Tommy Pigott also posted on X the same day that "A visa is a privilege and not a right," announcing the restrictions on the 21 Colombians, and posted separately regarding the 40 Bolivians.

Seven individuals were publicly named in Colombia: former Ecopetrol CEO Ricardo Roa Barragan; Sincelejo Mayor Yahir Fernando Acuna Cardales; Senator-elect Wadith Alberto Manzur Imbett; Representative-elect Karen Astrith Manrique Olarte; former senators Julio Elias Chagui Florez and Liliana Esther Bitar Castilla; and former representative and former Envigado mayor Jose Ignacio Mesa Betancur. The U.S. Department of State noted that their family members are also subject to the same restrictions.

In Bolivia, 15 individuals were publicly named. The U.S. Department of State listed sitting members of the Chamber of Deputies Rafael Dario Lopez Mercado and Rolando Santos Pacheco Chavez, former Attorney General Juan Lanchipa Ponce, and President of the Departmental Court of Justice of Santa Cruz Aldo Ismael Quezada Cerruti alongside their titles. The list also included a former prosecutor of Beni Department; a coordinating prosecutor for narcotics investigations in Santa Cruz; a former director of the Financial Investigation Unit; a former head of airport security for the Special Force to Fight Drug Trafficking (FELCN); Tarija Department Police Commander and former FELCN Director General Freddy Bismarck Pereira Molina; the head of the Santa Cruz departmental office of the Identification Service; a former director of Migration; a former criminal court judge; a former coordinating prosecutor in La Paz; and a judge of the Santa Cruz Departmental Court of Justice, as well as one private citizen. The statement on Bolivia noted that they and their immediate family members are subject to the restrictions. Among the 15 named individuals, most are sitting lawmakers or officials from the judiciary, prosecution, and police.

The total numbers stated in the two releases differ from the number of individuals publicly identified. In Colombia, the names and titles of seven out of 21 individuals were published, while in Bolivia, 15 out of 40 were named in the statement. Previously, in the initial announcement on September 28, the U.S. Department of State identified 21 individuals in Bolivia and two in Colombia. The 21 Bolivians were divided between 12 whose existing visas were revoked and nine who did not hold visas.

In both statements, the U.S. Department of State explained that these actions advance commitments made by partners at the March Doral summit and in the September 22 Shield of the Americas leaders' statement. Commitments following the Doral summit led to the September leaders' statement, and the October 22 announcement translated that statement into an actual list of visa restrictions.

Restrictions grounded in new policy announced September 28, barring immediate family members as well

The policy serving as the basis for the visa restrictions began with a U.S. Department of State spokesperson statement on September 28. That day, the U.S. Department of State announced a new visa restriction policy under Section 212(a)(3)(C) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, declaring that corrupt foreign officials can no longer freely enter the United States under the Trump administration. The targets are foreign nationals and their immediate family members who undermine democratically elected governments through corruption or narcotics trafficking.

The U.S. Department of State characterized this policy as a durable mechanism that allows it to move swiftly in coordination with partners as evidence accumulates. It also stated that actions undermining democratic governments are a threat to the security and rule of law of the Americas and will not be tolerated. The countries initially targeted under this policy were Shield of the Americas participants Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru.

The scale of the initial actions varied by country. In Bolivia, existing visas for 12 individuals were revoked, and nine without visas were classified as inadmissible. In Colombia, there were two individuals. The U.S. Department of State stated that it revoked the visas of Euclides Antonio Torres Romero, a private businessman who owns a conglomerate in energy, traffic signaling, and public lighting, and Martha Isabel Peralta Epieyu, a senator representing the Historic Pact coalition. Ecuador accounted for two individuals, and Peru for one judge on the First Constitutional Chamber of Lima.

On the same day, the U.S. Department of State publicly designated Bolivian Attorney General Roger Mariaca for involvement in significant corruption. The U.S. Department of State stated that Mariaca, who was elected in 2024 to a six-year term under far-left President Luis Arce, solicited and accepted bribes in exchange for facilitating narcotics trafficking, including during his prior tenure as Santa Cruz Department chief prosecutor. The U.S. Department of State assessed that Mariaca's actions undermine President Trump's efforts to combat narco-terrorism and erode the democratic institutions that Bolivia, as a Shield participant, seeks to strengthen. The designation was made pursuant to Section 7031(c) of the Department of State Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2026, which directs the Secretary of State to designate foreign officials and their immediate family members when there is credible information of involvement in significant corruption or gross violations of human rights. Mariaca and his immediate family members are generally ineligible for entry into the United States.

In its September 28 statement, the U.S. Department of State noted that this policy aligns with the commitments in the September 22 statement, which agreed to coordinate sanctions, designations, and financial measures against terrorists and criminals. Visa restrictions correspond to the border management tools among them.

15 Shield of the Americas nations agreed on September 22 to take joint action against 24 narco-terrorist organizations

This action builds upon commitments made at the Shield of the Americas meeting held on September 22 at United Nations Headquarters in New York. In the joint statement on defending hemispheric sovereignty released by the U.S. Department of State on the same day, 15 governments were signatories: the United States, Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guyana, Honduras, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, and Trinidad and Tobago. Colombia and Bolivia were among them.

The statement established three pillars: economy, security, and multilateral coordination. The economic pillar included reviewing investment screening mechanisms and diversifying critical mineral supply chains. The security pillar encompassed coordinating sanctions, designations, and financial measures against armed narco-terrorist organizations, as well as expanding civilian law enforcement. The statement also noted that economic sovereignty is protected when capital entering a nation is transparent and verifiable. The participating nations also expressed their intent to strengthen intelligence sharing and broaden access to security technologies and capabilities.

The initial joint action targeted 24 narco-terrorist organizations. The participating nations declared that they would pursue measures under their respective domestic laws, including asset freezes, immigration and visa restrictions against group members and sympathizers, and criminal accountability for individuals knowingly providing material support. The statement also outlined plans to jointly request that the Chair of the Permanent Council of the Organization of American States convene an organ of consultation under the Inter-American Treaty of Reciprocal Assistance (Rio Treaty).

In his remarks at the meeting that day, Secretary Rubio stated that unlike the simple drug cartels of the past, these organizations have become sophisticated, with some rivaling nation-states in funding, military strength, and intelligence-gathering capabilities. He explained that because they cooperate across borders, the nations seeking to stop them must also act together, which was the premise of the Shield. The Secretary added that they could speak with one voice in the economic and diplomatic spheres and potentially vote together in international organizations. The latest visa restrictions represent one of the measures translating this declaration into specific names.

U.S. Department of State affirms support for both governments in purging criminal influence from courts, police, and legislatures

A central message in the October 22 statements was support for the two governments. The U.S. Department of State wrote that the Trump administration stands with the Colombian government as it seeks to eliminate criminal influence from its institutions, including courts, police, and congress. The exact same sentence was included in the statement on Bolivia. The U.S. Department of State also added that this policy applies regardless of political affiliation.

The positions listed correspond directly to that message. The Bolivian list includes current and former officials from the prosecutor's office, judiciary, police, immigration, and civil registry. The Colombian list features sitting lawmakers, lawmakers-elect, and former members of the Senate and Chamber of Representatives, a municipal mayor, and the former chief executive of a state-owned energy company. The statements identified the names and titles of the targeted individuals and cited Section 212(a)(3)(C) of the Immigration and Nationality Act as the legal basis for the visa restrictions.

This provision authorizes the Secretary of State to deny a visa when there is reasonable ground to believe that an alien's entry or proposed activities in the United States would have potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences. The visa restriction is a measure barring entry, and neither statement included asset freezes or criminal indictments.

The U.S. Department of State introduced the policy on September 28 as a mechanism to move swiftly as evidence accumulates, and in its October 22 statements, it indicated that it is expanding its campaign against corruption and narcotics trafficking. While Ecuador and Peru were included on September 28, the latest statements addressed only Colombia and Bolivia.

Sources (KST)

• U.S. Department of State · 2026-10-22 Colombia · https://www.state.gov/releases/office-of-the-spokesman/2026/10/additional-visa-restrictions-on-colombian-individuals-to-defend-our-hemisphere-against-corruption-and-narcotrafficking/
• U.S. Department of State · 2026-10-22 Bolivia · https://www.state.gov/releases/office-of-the-spokesman/2026/10/additional-visa-restrictions-on-bolivian-individuals-to-defend-our-hemisphere-against-corruption-and-narcotrafficking/
• U.S. Department of State · 2026-09-28 · https://www.state.gov/releases/office-of-the-spokesman/2026/09/visa-restrictions-for-foreign-nationals-undermining-democratically-elected-governments-in-western-hemisphere-countries
• U.S. Department of State · 2026-09-22 · https://www.state.gov/releases/office-of-the-spokesman/2026/09/joint-statement-on-defending-hemispheric-sovereignty
• X @statedeptspox · https://x.com/statedeptspox/status/2113344514777571467
• X @statedeptspox · https://x.com/statedeptspox/status/2113347304438858051