Uruguay Lands on US Visa Ban List of 75 Countries

Uruguay, a country of 3.4 million people that prides itself on political stability and strong institutional ties with Washington, finds itself on two uncomfortable lists at once. Since January 21, it has been among 75 nations whose citizens cannot receive US immigrant visas while the State Department reviews its screening procedures. And since February 24, its exports face a 10% tariff under the emergency trade authority President Donald Trump invoked hours after the Supreme Court struck down his broader tariff regime.

Ambassador Daniel Castillos, speaking from Washington in an interview with Telemundo, described the visa suspension as temporary and reviewable. American officials told him the measure is “provisional, not a suspension or elimination,” he said, adding that it is expected to be resolved within a reasonable timeframe — though one that cannot be estimated because “it doesn’t depend on us.” The freeze affects between 80 and 100 Uruguayans who had applied for immigrant visas, a small fraction of the 30,000 who sought other categories of visa at the US consulate in Montevideo.

A Broad Dragnet

The suspension was announced as part of a sweeping policy directive framed around the public charge doctrine — the principle that immigrants should be financially self-sufficient and not rely on US government benefits. The 75-country list includes neighbors like Brazil and Colombia as well as nations already under full or partial travel bans. The State Department said the pause would remain in effect while it reassesses procedures for evaluating financial dependency risk. Nonimmigrant visas, including tourist and business categories, are unaffected.

For Uruguayans already in the United States without legal status, the situation carries additional risk. Castillos confirmed that consulates are notified when citizens are detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and that staff work to ensure minimum conditions and inform families through the foreign ministry when deportations occur. Uruguay’s consular network estimates that roughly 70 citizens were deported in 2025 for irregular status or criminal offenses.

Tariffs Add Economic Pressure

The trade side of the equation is more consequential in dollar terms. After the Supreme Court ruled 6–3 on February 20 that the International Emergency Economic Powers Act does not authorize tariffs, Trump immediately signed an executive order imposing a 10% global duty under Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974. The measure took effect February 24 and applies uniformly to all countries for 150 days, after which it expires unless Congress approves an extension. Trump has signaled he may raise the rate to 15%.

For Uruguay, which ran a trade surplus with the US of roughly $600 million in 2025 on beef, dairy, wood and rice exports, the tariff adds a cost layer at a moment of record-low inflation and an appreciating peso. Unlike countries that had negotiated bilateral deals under the now-invalidated IEEPA framework, Uruguay had no preferential arrangement — but the flat 10% rate means its exporters face the same burden as Brazil, whose previous 40% rate collapsed to the uniform level.

Working to Reverse It

Castillos summed up both fronts with the same phrase: “It causes us great concern, we don’t like the situation, and we are working to reverse it.” Uruguay has traditionally positioned itself as a reliable, rule-abiding partner — a strategy that earned it visa-waiver consideration under previous administrations. The current policy environment, in which 75 nations are frozen and 24 states have filed lawsuits challenging the tariffs, leaves Montevideo with limited unilateral options. For now, the embassy is lobbying quietly, the consulates are tracking deportees, and Uruguay’s exporters are absorbing a 10% tax that may or may not survive the summer.

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