New US visa restrictions target ‘far-left terrorists’: Who will it affect? | Today’s news
The United States Department of State’s new visa restriction policy targets foreign nationals accused of supporting, financing, recruiting or facilitating activities associated with far-left terrorist groups and related groups.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on Thursday (local time) that the State Department is “imposing new visa restrictions to prevent far-left terrorists from entering our country.”
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“Foreigners who fund, incite, aid, and support far-left terrorists are enemies of our civilization. They are not welcome in the United States,” Rubio wrote on X, sharing a press release detailing the restrictions in the area.
The State Department said the move was taken in support of the President’s National Security Memorandum-7 and the US government’s broader efforts to disrupt networks involved in political violence before they escalate into criminal activity.
Who will be affected?
The new visa policy will apply to members of far-left terrorist and related groups who have supported or incited acts of terrorism, supported violent crime, engaged in economic sabotage, financed or recruited individuals for violent actions, provided logistical support or helped coordinate networks for violent activities.
The State Department said the policy would limit the entry of foreign nationals who “finance, recruit, encourage, or otherwise enable” violent networks, describing the move as an effort to prevent threats to American citizens, economic stability, and homeland security.
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The restrictions are implemented under Section 212(a)(3)(C) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, which allows the US to deny entry to foreign nationals whose presence could have serious adverse foreign policy consequences.
Threats from far-left extremist groups
The announcement came after the State Department on the renewal of political terrorism, which, according to a State Department spokesman, brought together representatives of 67 countries.
In a speech before the State Department in Washington, Rubio said the primary responsibility of any government is to protect its people and country.
“The most fundamental duty of a state — the first responsibility, frankly, of any government of any kind — is to protect its people, to protect its country,” Rubio was quoted as saying by ANI.
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He reportedly said that the United States and its allies have long focused their counterterrorism efforts on traditional threats, but argued that political violence by far-left extremist groups has not received enough attention.
“For too long, however, our counterterrorism doctrine has had a blind spot when it comes to extremist violence from the political left,” Rubio added.
Rubio argued that far-left terrorist groups use violence as a political tool, including intimidation, coordinated campaigns, bombings and other criminal activities aimed at influencing political outcomes.
“Far-left terrorist and related groups often use sophisticated, organized networks to commit violence as a political tool — seeking to implement an extreme political vision through intimidation and coordinated campaigns of terror,” the State Department said in a policy statement.
During his remarks, Rubio said the threat posed by such groups is increasingly transnational and requires cooperation between governments.
“This is an international conference because we’re facing an international — we’re facing a transnational threat,” Rubio said, calling for greater intelligence sharing, coordinated law enforcement and efforts to disrupt financial networks.
The foreign minister also said the US had begun building a framework to combat what he described as far-left terrorist networks under the Trump administration.
“Under President Trump, for the first time, the United States is building the infrastructure, partnerships and strategy to defeat the scourge of far-left terror,” Rubio said.
Participating delegations were mainly from Europe, along with representatives from Asia and the Western Hemisphere. Israel was the only Middle Eastern country represented, according to a list shared by a spokesperson, CNN reported.
Several delegations were represented by ambassadors or working-level officials rather than foreign ministers, according to CNN, with sources citing scheduling constraints after invitations were issued earlier this month.
