The Trump administration has imposed visa restrictions on more than 15 people accused of "organizing, facilitating, or promoting" recent migrant caravans traveling through Central America and Mexico toward the U.S. southern border. The State Department said Thursday that investigations found that individuals had recruited, coordinated, and directed large groups of migrants making the journey. It did not disclose the names, nationalities, or locations of those targeted, or specify which caravans they were allegedly connected to.
"Any of these individuals or any caravan participants who apply for a U.S. visa or attempt to travel to our nation will face additional scrutiny, and the Department will take appropriate action, which may include refusing or revoking their visas," Tommy Pigott, a State Department spokesman, said in a statement Thursday. The White House referred Newsweek to the Department of State's announcement when asked for further comment. Newsweek has also contacted the State Department, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and U.S.
Customs and Border Protection for further comment and is awaiting their responses. The restrictions are the latest use of a visa policy announced by Secretary of State Marco Rubio on March 5, 2025. They target foreign government officials and others accused of knowingly facilitating illegal immigration into the United States.
The policy covers immigration and customs officials, as well as airport and port authorities, accused of failing to enforce immigration laws or facilitating migrants traveling toward the U.S. southern border. Migrant caravans have traveled north toward the United States for years and became more frequent during the border surge from 2020 through late 2024. Many do not reach the border intact, with some migrants remaining in Mexico and others detained by Mexican authorities.
A 2023 study by Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy identified 30 migrant caravans between 2017 and the end of 2022, most originating in San Pedro Sula, Honduras, or southern Mexico. Researchers said the caravans represented a small share of overall migration, despite attracting significant political and media attention. They added that traveling in groups can offer migrants greater safety on journeys stretching hundreds of miles.
The groups have ranged from hundreds to thousands of people, with many stopped or broken up before reaching the U.S.-Mexico border. One caravan, known as "Fe y Esperanza," left San Pedro Sula, Honduras, on September 20 and traveled through Guatemala before reaching southern Mexico. More than 600 people were left in Tapachula, near Mexico’s border with Guatemala, on September 27, according to EFE.
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