State Department yanks visas from Mexican executives in migrant smuggling crackdown

FIRST ON FOX: The State Department is yanking visas from Mexican executives it says helped move unlawful migrants toward the U.S. border, Fox News Digital has learned.

The department revoked visas and imposed travel restrictions on six individuals who worked at an air travel company, along with their immediate family members. U.S. officials say the group collaborated with smuggling networks to coordinate transportation and provide fraudulent travel documents for migrants — including minors — from the Caribbean and other regions, routing them through Central America before many attempted to reach the United States.

The department did not name the company involved. 

Mexican officials were notified of the revocations, which were carried out under Section 212(a)(3)(C) of the Immigration and Nationality Act. That authority allows the U.S. to bar foreign nationals when their entry is deemed to carry potential foreign-policy risks. Any previously valid visas held by the individuals have been canceled, and they are now prohibited from entering the country.

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A State Department official said investigators determined the executives “actively supported operations that facilitated the movement of aliens, including minors,” enabling travel that ultimately fed illegal border crossings.

Deputy Principal Spokesperson Tommy Pigott said the United States “will not allow those who enable or profit from illegal immigration to evade responsibility,” calling the actions part of a broader push to disrupt smuggling networks and protect the integrity of U.S. borders.

The State Department has revoked some 80,000 non-immigrant visas since the start of the Trump administration as of last month. 

STATE DEPARTMENT REVOKED MORE THAN 80K NONIMMIGRANT VISAS THIS YEAR, INCLUDING 8K STUDENT VISAS

Visa restrictions that extend to immediate relatives are part of a strategy to cut off the benefits of U.S. travel — schooling, shopping, business — that many upper-tier executives rely on. It’s intended to signal consequences for the individuals directly involved.

In recent years, U.S. officials have increasingly warned that migrant-smuggling networks are relying on commercial air routes to move people from the Caribbean, South America and Africa into Central America before they head north by land. The strategy has become a preferred alternative to the dangerous Darién Gap, allowing smugglers to sell “travel packages” that include airfare, ground transportation and forged documents needed to continue the journey toward the U.S. border.

Still, border apprehensions have tanked under the Trump administration’s crackdown on unlawful immigration. October saw 30,561 total encounters nationwide, the lowest figure of any October on record.