US Visa Restrictions Hit 27 People in Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru
POLITICS · LATIN AMERICA
Key Facts
- —The country Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru, all members of the Shield of the Americas, a Washington-backed alliance against organised crime.
- —What happened On 28 September 2026 the US State Department restricted visas for 27 people and their families, citing corruption or drug trafficking that undermines elected governments.
- —The numbers Bolivia 22, Colombia 2, Ecuador 2, Peru 1 (State Department via Bolivia Verifica and El Comercio, 28 Sep). Nine Bolivians and both Ecuadorians were not named.
- —What it means for you The measures target named people and their families only. No visa rule changed for other citizens of the four countries.
- —Still open Washington has published no evidence. Bolivia will request it, and Colombia’s president says OFAC financial sanctions could follow.
US visa restrictions announced on 28 September 2026 cover 27 people from Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru, plus their families. The State Department accuses them of undermining elected governments through corruption or drug trafficking.
Bolivia accounts for 22 of the 27, led by Attorney General Roger Mariaca. The list also reaches a Colombian senator and the Peruvian judge who ruled for the Chinese operator of the Chancay port.
What Washington Announced
The State Department acted under Section 212(a)(3)(C) of the Immigration and Nationality Act. That clause bars foreigners whose entry could have serious adverse consequences for US foreign policy.
It tied the step to pledges from the Doral Summit and a Shield of the Americas statement of 22 September. El Comercio reports that all four countries take part in that initiative against organised crime.
Mariaca received a separate public designation for significant corruption. The department says he took bribes to facilitate drug trafficking and to favour people accused of violent crimes.
Bolivia Carries Most of the List
Washington revoked visas for 12 named Bolivians and declared nine more ineligible, as they hold no visa. With Mariaca, that makes 22, the fact-checking outlet Bolivia Verifica confirmed.
The named Bolivians include three prosecutors, three judges, two current or former high-court magistrates and former justice minister Iván Lima. A police colonel, a former customs chief and a private businessman complete the list.
Mariaca was elected attorney general in 2024 for a six-year term. He rejected the accusation in Sucre on Monday night and called it interference, Unitel and Erbol reported.
“Cooperation yes, interference no,” he said. He linked the sanction to two cases he is pursuing, known as the Cerimedo and “junk petrol” cases.
Defence Minister Ernesto Justiniano called the accusations “very serious” and said La Paz will ask Washington for evidence. The presidents of both legislative chambers have asked Mariaca to step aside until Washington sends its information, El Deber and Los Tiempos reported.
Colombia, Peru and Ecuador
In Colombia, the list names Senator Martha Peralta of the left-wing Pacto Histórico and businessman Euclides Torres. NTN24 describes Torres as linked to alleged irregular financing of Gustavo Petro’s 2022 campaign.
Peralta told El Tiempo she had received no official notice and did not know the reasons.
President Abelardo de la Espriella backed the move and pointed to OFAC, the US Treasury office that freezes sanctioned assets. “The OFAC list is another path to close the door on impunity,” he said, El Heraldo and Semana reported.
In Peru, the list names Lima judge Juan Carlos Núñez Matos. Gestión and La República identify him as the judge who ruled for Chinese port operator Cosco Shipping in the Chancay dispute.
A higher court later reversed it, and the case now sits with Peru’s Constitutional Court, as The Rio Times reported in August. The visa step brings the Washington-Beijing rivalry over the port down to one judge.
Ecuador’s two targets were not named, because US visa records are confidential by law, El Comercio explained. No individual reasons were published for anyone outside Bolivia.
Cooperation or Interference
Bolivia’s government promised its own investigation, and Colombia’s president welcomed the step. Both point to cooperation with Washington rather than a diplomatic rift.
Yet the evidence remains unpublished, which lets those named present the move as foreign interference. US officials have questioned Chancay since it opened, as earlier Rio Times coverage describes.
For residents, the US visa restrictions change nothing unless they are on the list. For investors, the signal concerns courts, since most Bolivian names are prosecutors and judges.
President Rodrigo Paz said on Monday that US$10 billion in international financing is confirmed, Red Uno and Radio Panamericana reported.
What Is Not Yet Known
Washington has not published the evidence behind any of the 27 cases. Nine Bolivians and both Ecuadorians remain unnamed.
It is unclear whether OFAC sanctions will follow, or whether Mariaca will step aside. Bolivia’s formal request for evidence is the next step to watch.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is the most senior person on the US list?
Bolivia’s Attorney General Roger Mariaca, elected in 2024 for six years. The State Department designated him for significant corruption, which bars him and his close family from entering the United States.
Do the US visa restrictions affect ordinary travellers?
No. They apply to the 27 people named or barred and their families. No visa rule changed for other citizens of Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador or Peru.
Why were some names withheld?
US law keeps individual visa records confidential. Washington named only Mariaca and 12 other Bolivians, the two Colombians and the Peruvian judge.
Sources: US State Department statement of 28 September 2026 as reported by Bolivia Verifica and El Comercio; El Tiempo; Unitel, Erbol, El Deber, Correo del Sur, Urgentebo, Red Uno (Bolivia); El Heraldo, Semana, NTN24 (Colombia); Gestión, La República (Peru), 28–29 September 2026.
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