Policy dates to 2023 initiative targeting irregular migration
The State Department said Thursday it has taken steps to impose visa restrictions on more than 15 people allegedly involved in organizing, facilitating or promoting “recent” migrant caravans — large groups of migrants traveling together by land, often including family units, women and minors seeking safety in numbers. The department did not identify the individuals, who it said were targeted in the past week.
State Department spokesman Thomas Pigott said Thursday that investigations indicated the individuals had recruited, coordinated and directed large groups of migrants through Central America and Mexico toward the U.S. southern border.
“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,” Pigott said in a statement.
“Crossing the U.S. southern border without authorization violates the law and can lead to arrest, detention, deportation and a future ban on entry to the United States. Those individuals involved in facilitating or participating in such illegal activity will be considered for visa restrictions,” he said.
According to a Congressional Research Service report, migrant caravans bound for the United States surged in 2018 and 2019, drawing increased attention from U.S. government authorities attempting to stem irregular migration. Some members of migrant caravans seek asylum at official border crossings, while others attempt to enter the United States illegally.
The visa restrictions were imposed under a broad State Department policy introduced by the Biden administration in November 2023 targeting people who facilitate irregular migration into the United States. The policy was expanded in February 2024, and the Trump administration announced a complementary policy in March 2025 targeting foreign officials and others accused of knowingly facilitating illegal immigration.
The action is the latest in a series of immigration measures under the second Trump administration, which has pursued stricter border control and intensified immigration enforcement within the country, resulting in widespread arrests of people suspected of being in the United States illegally for possible deportation.