US revokes visas for Latin American officials

The Trump administration revoked or restricted visas for 27 officials, former officials and family members from Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. Bolivia's Attorney General Roger Mariaca is on the list. The State Department accuses him of taking bribes to facilitate drug trafficking and help criminals evade justice. Colombian targets include a senator under investigation in a corruption case and a businessman linked in allegations to political campaign financing. The administration says the restrictions support democratic governance and efforts to combat corruption and narcotrafficking. Leaders in the affected countries say some targets were obstructing their crime-fighting efforts. Contested: those competing characterizations of the targets. No dispute appears in the record on the number 27, the four countries, or that visas were revoked or restricted. The story broke September 28.