BOLIVIA · JUSTICE
Key Facts
- —What is happening On Thursday, 22 October 2026, the US State Department named 15 Bolivians for visa restrictions over alleged corruption and drug trafficking, and Santa Cruz court president Aldo Quezada resigned hours later.
- —Why it matters It is the second US visa action on Bolivia in under a month, and it reaches judges, prosecutors, deputies and police officers in the very institutions that guard the rule of law.
- —The numbers The statement names 15 people but says it restricts 40 individuals in Bolivia, and it does not explain the gap. The first round on Monday, 28 September, revoked 12 visas and made nine Bolivians ineligible.
- —Who is who Quezada led the Santa Cruz Departmental Tribunal of Justice, Julio Nelson Alba Flores sits on it, and Rómer Saucedo, president of the Supreme Court, urged both to resign.
- —What to watch Whether Alba Flores steps down, who now leads the Santa Cruz tribunal, and whether Bolivian prosecutors open cases against any of the 15 people named.
- —Power Index Bolivia ranks 12th of 14 in The Rio Times Latin America Power Index, with 28.4 points (October 2026 edition).
- —What it means for you The measure targets named individuals, not Bolivia’s economy, but it shows Washington will use visa powers against officials in the region, and the State Department calls the mechanism durable.
Washington named 15 Bolivians for visa restrictions on 22 October, and the Santa Cruz court president quit. This guide explains the list and what is not yet known.
The US visa sanctions Bolivia judicial list why it matters question starts on Thursday, 22 October 2026. That day the US State Department named 15 Bolivians, including two Santa Cruz judges, and one of them resigned within hours.
It matters to Americans because Washington is using visa powers, not tariffs, to pressure officials it links to corruption and narcotrafficking. A visa restriction is not a conviction, and no court has found any of the 15 guilty.
Amounts in this guide are in US dollars, so no currency conversion is needed. Related coverage includes the Rio Times news report on the judges resigning and the Rio Times Bolivia page.
What the US List Is
On Thursday, 22 October, Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued a statement titled “Additional Visa Restrictions on Bolivian Individuals”. It names 15 Bolivian nationals and says the restrictions also cover their immediate family members.
The State Department says the 15 undermine democratically elected governments in the region through corruption or narcotrafficking. The statement says the administration “stands with the government of Bolivia” against criminal influence in courts, police and the legislature.
The list expands a policy the State Department announced on Monday, 28 September. The US Embassy in Bolivia posted that first statement, which covered Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru.
How Visa Sanctions Work
The legal basis is Section 212(a)(3)(C) of the US Immigration and Nationality Act. It lets the Secretary of State refuse a visa on reasonable grounds that entry would seriously harm US foreign policy.
In the first round, existing visas of 12 Bolivians were revoked, and nine more Bolivians without visas were made generally ineligible. The State Department described the tool as one it can use quickly as evidence develops.
A second tool, Section 7031(c) of the State Department appropriations act, was used on 28 September against then Attorney General Roger Mariaca. It publicly designates an official for significant corruption and makes him and his immediate family generally ineligible for US entry.
The 22 October statement itself rests on Section 212(a)(3)(C). It announces entry restrictions only, with no asset freeze, no charges and no evidence for individual people.
Who Is on the List
The 15 names cover the justice system, the legislature, the police and migration services. Two are sitting judges of the Santa Cruz departmental court.
- Judges: Aldo Ismael Quezada Cerruti, president of the Santa Cruz Departmental Tribunal of Justice, and Julio Nelson Alba Flores, a judge on it. José Ayaviri Siles, a former criminal court judge.
- Prosecutors: Juan Lanchipa Ponce, former attorney general, and Julio César Porras Velarde, who coordinates controlled-substances prosecutors in Santa Cruz. Félix Gerardo Balderas Arteaga and Armando Rojas Toledo are former prosecutors.
- Deputies: Rafael Darío López Mercado and Rolando Santos Pacheco Chávez, both national deputies from Santa Cruz.
- Others: Diego Alejandro Barboza Zeballos, former head of the financial investigations unit, and Tarija police commander Freddy Bismarck Pereira Molina. The list also names former migration chief Katherine Calderón Valle and three others, among them a private citizen.
The Resignation in Santa Cruz
Quezada resigned on Thursday as tribunal president and as judge of its second constitutional chamber, El Deber reported. La Patria quotes his letter as an “irrevocable” resignation dated 22 October.
Saucedo, president of the Supreme Court, urged Quezada and Alba Flores to resign and face investigations without the privileges of judicial office. He said the named citizens “no longer enjoy the credibility necessary” to run the departmental judiciary, in El Deber’s wording.
Neither article reports a statement from Quezada beyond his letter. Alba Flores had not been reported as resigning when those reports appeared.
US Visa Sanctions Bolivia Judicial List Why It Matters for Washington and La Paz
The list reaches the justice system itself, so it tests how far Bolivia’s courts can police their own members. Saucedo’s public call for resignations shows the Supreme Court president did not defend the two judges.
For US-Bolivia relations, the statement presents the sanctions as support for the government of President Rodrigo Paz. It ties them to commitments from the Doral Summit in March and the Shield of the Americas leaders’ statement of 22 September.
Jurist reported that Bolivia confirmed Mariaca’s arrest on Thursday, 1 October, but the sources do not link the list to it. Correo del Sur reported a court ordered him six months of preventive detention on Saturday, 3 October.
Prosecutors allege Mariaca protected the trafficker Sebastián Marset, and he has not been convicted. Jurist reported that he denies the US allegations and calls them political pressure, and his lawyer asked for due process.
Earlier coverage of the 28 September round is in the Rio Times report on the visa bans. The Rio Times report on the attorney general case follows Mariaca, and the Bolivia power guide names who holds office.
What It Means for You
For US travellers and investors, nothing in the statement restricts trade, flights or the Bolivian state. It targets named individuals and their families, so the effect is felt by those people and by anyone who deals with them.
For US policy watchers, it is another case of visa power used as a quick tool against officials in the region. The State Department calls the mechanism durable and able to act quickly as evidence develops.
What Is Not Known
The State Department says 40 people in Bolivia are restricted, but names only 15, and the sources do not explain the gap. The 22 October statement also gives no conduct or evidence for each person.
It is not known whether Alba Flores will resign, or who will lead the Santa Cruz tribunal. The reports reviewed carry no response from the other named people, and no statement from the Bolivian government.
No court has charged or convicted any of the 15 over the US allegations, as far as the sources show. Whether Bolivian prosecutors will open cases is also open.
What Comes Next
Saucedo asked the tribunal’s full chamber to address its leadership within hours, so the court must now settle who leads it. Further US lists are possible, because the State Department called the 28 September policy a durable mechanism.
It does not mean that any of the 15 has been convicted, in Bolivia or in the United States. It also does not change Bolivia’s own judicial process, which stays with Bolivian courts.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are US visa sanctions on Bolivian officials?
They are restrictions on entering the United States, imposed by the State Department under Section 212(a)(3)(C) of the Immigration and Nationality Act. Existing visas can be revoked, and family members are covered.
Who is on the list of 22 October 2026?
The State Department named 15 Bolivians, including two Santa Cruz judges, a former attorney general, two deputies, prosecutors and a police commander. Aldo Quezada, the Santa Cruz court president, resigned the same day.
Is a visa restriction a criminal conviction?
No, it is an administrative decision on entry to the United States. No court has found any of the 15 people guilty of the US allegations.
Why did the Bolivian judge resign?
Aldo Quezada resigned hours after the list appeared, and the Supreme Court president had urged him to step aside and face investigation. His letter, quoted by La Patria, calls the resignation irrevocable.
Does this affect US travellers or investors in Bolivia?
The statement restricts named individuals and their families, not trade, travel or the Bolivian state. It matters mainly as a signal of how Washington is using visa powers in the region.
Sources: US State Department, Additional Visa Restrictions on Bolivian Individuals (22 October 2026); US Embassy in Bolivia, 28 September statement; El Deber; La Patria; Brújula Digital; Correo del Sur; Jurist (all accessed 23 October 2026).
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief