PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC – The United States government Tuesday said that no foreign government is involved in decisions regarding the issuance or revocation of its visas to anyone.
“The United States government makes all decisions about its visas; no foreign government is involved in visa approvals, denials, or revocations,” the US Embassy here said in a brief statement, following reports that Homeland Security Minister, Roger Alexander, had written to US authorities urging Washington to deny or revoke visas granted to Trinidad and Tobago citizens who “disseminate defamatory, inflammatory, and intentionally misleading narratives about our joint mission and the ongoing security operations within Trinidad and Tobago”.
The Trinidad Express newspaper said it had obtained a copy of the letter, in which Alexander writes that “in recent weeks, several individuals—holding dual nationality or US residency—have been using media platforms, social-media channels, and online ‘news’ programmes to disseminate defamatory, inflammatory, and intentionally misleading narratives about our joint mission and the ongoing security operations within Trinidad and Tobago”.
He said these “individuals openly profit from sensationalism, distort the truth to generate viewership, and then retreat to cities such as Miami and other US locations while their manufactured narratives fuel tension, fear, and instability here at home.”
Last weekend, the corporate secretary of the non-governmental organisation, Fishermen and Friends of the Sea (FFOS), Gary Aboud, said that his US visa had been revoked.
Aboud, who has been critical of the US naval presence near Venezuela in recent weeks, said for 28 years, FFOS has championed equity, justice, sustainable development, and the protection of vulnerable grassroots and coastal communities.
“Today, however, we face an alarming reality: NGOs are being silenced. NGOs are not enemies of the State; we are a critical pillar of any functioning democracy. Without an independent civil society holding power to account, there can be no transparency, no oversight, and no protection against abuse”.
Aboud said he had received information from the US Embassy here that his B1/B2 Visa for travel to the United States had been prudently revoked.
“This email is considered official notification of that revocation,” it stated, adding that the action is “based on the fact” that additional information became available after the visa was issued, indicating that Aboud may be “inadmissible” to the United States and is ineligible to receive a visa.
In its statement on Wednesday, the US Embassy here said the North American country “does not revoke visas due to the exercise of the right to free expression, which is a cornerstone value of our country.
“The United States does, however, revoke and deny visas based on criminal activity,” it added.
Earlier this week, the Embassy warned visa holders that breaking US laws has “serious consequences” for US visa holders, adding that the visa “is a privilege and not a right“.
In a 26-second statement on the US Embassy’s Facebook page, the Embassy’s visa chief Mike Mitchell said, “breaking US laws has serious consequences for visa holders.
“If you are arrested or violate any laws, your visa may be revoked, you may be deported, and you could be ineligible for future US visas. Follow the rules and don’t jeopardise your travel. A US visa is a privilege and not a right,” he added.
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