INTERNACIONAL
Trump admin announces expansion of visa restriction policy in Western Hemisphere
Rep. Chip Roy introduces PAUSE Act to halt immigration
Republican Congressman Chip Roy discusses the alarming visa fraud scheme involving 10 Indian nationals who staged armed robberies to exploit immigration laws. Roy introduces the PAUSE Act to temporarily halt all immigration, citing the highest number of foreign-born residents in US history. He slams the Senate for stalling the Save America Act, advocating for immediate legislative action to reform the immigration system amidst rising concerns about foreign nationals.
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
The Trump administration on Thursday announced a «significant expansion» of its visa restriction policy in the Western Hemisphere, targeting people working on behalf of U.S. adversaries.
In its announcement, the State Department said the expanded policy allows it to restrict U.S. visas for people intentionally acting on behalf of adversarial countries to «undermine America’s interests.»
«President Trump’s National Security Strategy makes clear: this Administration will deny adversarial powers the ability to own or control vital assets or threaten the security and prosperity of the United States in our region,» the department said in a press release. «The Department of State is working to advance American leadership in our hemisphere, protect our homeland, and ensure access to vital routes and areas throughout our region.»
RUBIO IDENTIFIES ‘SINGLE MOST SERIOUS THREAT’ TO THE US FROM WESTERN HEMISPHERE
Marco Rubio with passports in view; the State Department has introduced updated vetting procedures for visa applicants. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images / istock) (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
«In support of this critical objective, the Department of State is announcing a significant expansion of an existing visa restriction policy that targets those working on behalf of U.S. adversaries to undermine our national interests in our hemisphere, including regional security and democratic sovereignty,» the department continued.
The administration also said that family members of individuals subject to visa restrictions under this policy will not be allowed to enter the U.S.
Marco Rubio, U.S. Secretary of State, left, and US President Donald Trump during a cabinet meeting at the White House in Washington, DC, US, on Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026. (Aaron Schwartz/CNP/Bloomberg)
«This expanded policy enables us to restrict U.S. visas for nationals of countries in our region who, while within Western Hemisphere countries and while intentionally acting on behalf of adversarial countries, their agents, or enterprises, knowingly direct, authorize, fund, or provide significant support to, or carry out activities that are adversarial to and undermine America’s interests in our hemisphere. These individuals – and their immediate family members – will be generally ineligible for entry into the United States,» the department said.
Activities the administration has deemed adversarial and that could trigger visa restrictions include enabling adversarial powers to acquire or control key assets and strategic resources in the Western Hemisphere, destabilizing regional security efforts, undermining American economic interests and conducting influence operations designed to weaken the sovereignty and stability of nations in the region.
STATE DEPARTMENT TO ASK FOR BONDS OF UP TO $15,000 FOR VISA APPLICATION FROM A DOZEN MORE COUNTRIES
U.S. passports are arranged for a photograph in New York, U.S., on Tuesday, April 23, 2013. A court challenge by federal immigration agents seeking to block President Barack Obama’s deferred-deportation initiative will probably succeed, a judge said. (Victor J. Blue/Bloomberg)
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
The department said it has imposed visa restrictions on 26 people under this policy.
«To demonstrate our commitment to this expanded policy, we have taken steps to impose visa restrictions on 26 individuals across our hemisphere who have engaged in these activities,» the department said. «The Trump Administration will use every available tool to protect our national security interests, defend American interests, and promote our region’s safety and prosperity.»
This comes after a series of moves by the administration in recent months to restrict visas for people around the world, including a visa ban on people from dozens of countries listed by the State Department, which civil rights groups have previously sharply criticized.
Critics, including civil rights advocates, have raised concerns about similar visa restriction policies, saying broad definitions of prohibited activity can create questions about how individuals are identified and what due process protections are available.
«This administration’s targeting of people based on their national origin is part of an autocratic playbook designed to make America smaller – to shut out ideas, perspectives, and communities,» Skye Perryman, president and CEO of Democracy Forward, said in a statement earlier this year about the suspension of immigrant visa processing for people from around 75 countries.
administration, national security, foreign policy, foreign affairs, state department
INTERNACIONAL
El proyecto del «Arco del Triunfo» de Trump no agrada a nadie, ni a quien se lo propuso
INTERNACIONAL
Pakistán confirmó gestiones para una nueva ronda de diálogo entre Estados Unidos e Irán, pero sin fecha definida
El Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores de Pakistán confirmó este jueves que se están manteniendo contactos para organizar una nueva reunión entre delegaciones de Estados Unidos e Irán con el objetivo de alcanzar un acuerdo que ponga fin a la guerra, pero aclaró que todavía no hay una fecha definida para ese encuentro.
El portavoz Tahir Andrabi señaló que Islamabad sigue ejerciendo su papel de mediador y que los detalles sobre la composición y el tamaño de las delegaciones serán determinados por las partes involucradas.
“Como mediadores, es fundamental que mantengamos la confidencialidad de las conversaciones. Tenemos la información que nos han confiado los negociadores”, afirmó Andrabi en conferencia de prensa.
El funcionario describió el resultado de la primera ronda, celebrada el 12 de abril en Islamabad, como un proceso “sin avances decisivos pero tampoco rupturas”, y confirmó que los temas nucleares continúan siendo el principal obstáculo para lograr un acuerdo.
Andrabi evitó dar detalles sobre los puntos exactos en discusión, pero remarcó que Pakistán mantiene un canal de comunicación activo entre las delegaciones y que la mediación es parte de una estrategia regional más amplia conocida como el “Proceso de Islamabad”.
El anuncio se produjo en paralelo a una intensa agenda diplomática de las autoridades paquistaníes. El primer ministro Shehbaz Sharif se encuentra en una gira que ya lo llevó a Jeddah y Doha, y que prevé una escala en Antalya.
Durante su paso por Qatar, Sharif discutió con el emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani la situación en el Golfo y la importancia de sostener la estabilidad y el diálogo internacional en Medio Oriente.
El jefe de las Fuerzas Armadas de Pakistán, Asim Munir, viajó a Teherán junto con el ministro del Interior, Mohsin Naqvi, para mantener encuentros con altos funcionarios iraníes, incluido el canciller Abbas Araghchi y el presidente del Parlamento Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf.
Desde Teherán, el embajador Reza Amiri Moghadam enfatizó que Irán solo aceptará Pakistán como sede de las negociaciones con Estados Unidos.
“Las conversaciones se realizarán en Pakistán y en ningún otro lugar, porque confiamos en Pakistán”, sostuvo Moghadam en un acto en Islamabad.
Analistas paquistaníes señalan que Pakistán está impulsando una doble estrategia, con el primer ministro buscando apoyo en las potencias del Golfo y el jefe militar concentrado en cerrar una nueva ronda de diálogo entre Washington y Teherán, con el foco puesto en extender la frágil tregua y acercar posiciones sobre el programa nuclear iraní.
Por otro lado, funcionarios de Pakistán desmintieron que Munir tuviera prevista una visita a Washington, calificando esas versiones como especulativas. El portavoz Andrabi señaló que no tenía conocimiento de ningún viaje planificado por el jefe militar tras su paso por Irán.
El presidente de Estados Unidos, Donald Trump, anticipó este jueves que la próxima reunión entre negociadores estadounidenses e iraníes podría celebrarse durante el fin de semana.
Trump afirmó que “estamos muy cerca de un acuerdo con Irán” y precisó que Teherán ha ofrecido no buscar armas nucleares durante más de dos décadas, aunque la extensión y alcance de ese compromiso sigue en debate.
Trump insistió en que un acuerdo permitiría reducir los precios del petróleo, controlar la inflación y eliminar el riesgo de proliferación nuclear en la región.
“Si esto sucede, veremos una caída en el precio del petróleo, la inflación bajará y, más importante aún, se evitará una catástrofe nuclear”, dijo el mandatario.
El mandatario republicano sostuvo que su administración mantiene un “muy buen canal” con Irán y que el bloqueo y los bombardeos de las últimas semanas han sido determinantes para que Teherán se muestre dispuesto a negociar.
“Creo que tenemos una oportunidad real. Irán quiere hacer un trato”, señaló. El presidente agregó que, de alcanzarse un acuerdo en Islamabad, podría viajar personalmente a la capital pakistaní para firmarlo.
Trump también anunció que planea invitar al primer ministro israelí Benjamin Netanyahu y al presidente libanés Joseph Aoun a la Casa Blanca para avanzar hacia un acuerdo de paz regional, en línea con el cese de hostilidades entre Israel y Hezbollah, que comenzó este jueves.
(Con información de AFP y Reuters)
Tahir Andrabi
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
The Chinese government is increasing pressure on underground Catholic communities to join the state-controlled church while tightening surveillance and restrictions on an estimated 12 million Catholics, according to a Human Rights Watch report.
The group said in its report that the increased pressure is part of a decade-old campaign to ensure religious groups align with Communist Party ideology.
The Associated Press reported that the Chinese government has rejected the claim, saying Human Rights Watch is «consistently biased against China.»
China’s Catholics have long been split between a state-run church and an underground church loyal to the Vatican. In 2018, Pope Francis reached a deal allowing the Chinese government a role in appointing bishops to ease tensions.
WATCHDOG HIGHLIGHTS NATIONS WHERE CHRISTIANS FACE PERSECUTION AROUND THE GLOBE
Chinese President Xi Jinping speaks during an international business meeting at The Great Hall Of The People on March 28, 2025, in Beijing, China. (Ken Ishii/Pool/Getty Images)
«A decade into Xi Jinping’s Sinicization campaign and nearly eight years since the 2018 Holy See-China agreement, Catholics in China face escalating repression that violates their religious freedoms,» Human Rights Watch researcher Yalkun Uluyol said in the report. «Pope Leo XIV should urgently review the agreement and press Beijing to end the persecution and intimidation of underground churches, clergy, and worshipers.»
The Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson’s office told The Associated Press that Human Rights Watch «fabricates all manner of lies and rumors, and lacks any credibility whatsoever.»
The office added that the government «oversees religious affairs in accordance with the law and protects citizens’ freedom of religious belief and normal religious activities.»
BISHOP ROBERT BARRON: THE WAR ON CHRISTIANS IS REAL AND THE WORLD CAN NO LONGER STAY SILENT
A man looks on at a Catholic church in Zhuozhou, China’s northern Hebei province on April 22, 2025. In 1951, newly communist China severed ties with the Holy See, forcing Catholics to choose between membership in the state-run Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association or non-sanctioned churches loyal to the pope. But under Pope Francis, China and the Vatican signed a 2018 agreement allowing both Beijing and the Holy See a say in appointing bishops in an attempt to close the schism in China’s 12-million-strong Catholic community. (Photo by ADEK BERRY / AFP) / To go with AFP story Vatican-religion-pope-China,FOCUS by Mary Yang and Isabel Kua (Photo by ADEK BERRY/AFP via Getty Images) (Adek Berry/AFP)
Human Rights Watch said its researchers are not allowed into China and that the report is based on interviews with people outside the country who had firsthand knowledge of Catholic life in China, along with experts on Catholicism and religious freedom.
The 2018 agreement stipulates that Beijing proposes candidates for bishop, which the pope can veto, though the full text has never been made public.
In June 2025, Pope Leo XIV, who had just become the pope, appointed a Chinese bishop under the 2018 agreement and said he would continue to honor the deal «in the short term.»
POPE LEO XIV TO VISIT FASTEST-GROWING CATHOLIC CONTINENT DURING 4-NATION AFRICA TRIP
Pope Leo XIV waves as he arrives at Saint Joseph’s Cathedral in Bamenda, on the fourth day of an 11-day apostolic journey to Africa, on April 16, 2026. (Alberto PIZZOLI / AFP via Getty Images)
«I’m also in ongoing dialogue with a number of people, Chinese, on both sides of some of the issues that are there,» Leo said. «It’s a very difficult situation. In the long term, I don’t pretend to say this is what I will and will not do, but after two months, I’ve already begun having discussions at several levels on that topic.»
Since 2018, Human Rights Watch says Chinese authorities have pressured underground Catholics to join the state-run church through detentions, disappearances and house arrests, citing accounts from unnamed individuals who have left China.
The report also said China has tightened ideological control, surveillance and restrictions on religious activity and foreign ties, including requiring state approval for clergy travel, while officially recognizing and closely overseeing five religions: Buddhism, Taoism, Catholicism, Protestantism and Islam.
POPE LEO PICKS NEW VATICAN AMBASSADOR TO US AS TRUMP TENSIONS MOUNT OVER POLICIES
Xi Jinping said in 2016 that he would «Sinicize» the country’s religions, a policy aimed at aligning religious practices with Communist Party ideology.
Human Rights Watch said authorities have taken sweeping steps to curb religious practice, including tearing down churches and crosses, blocking gatherings at unregistered churches and seizing religious materials not approved by the state.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
The group said the broader «Sinicization» campaign has also led to intensified crackdowns on Tibetan Buddhists and Muslims.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
persecutions, roman catholic, human rights, china, xi jinping
Argentina le ganó 3 a 1 a Ecuador y se clasificó a la final del Sudamericano Sub 17
Las acciones asiáticas caen pero van camino de fuertes ganancias semanales Por Investing.com
“Mañana, tiroteo, no vengan”: investigan si una misma amenaza en distintas escuelas del país se trató de un reto viral
El proyecto del «Arco del Triunfo» de Trump no agrada a nadie, ni a quien se lo propuso
Darío Barassi tuvo un llamativo percance en vivo y debió abandonar su programa para cambiarse: “El operativo secarme”
Fecha 10 de la Primera Nacional: programación, hora y tabla de posiciones
Martín Menem admitió que el informe de gestión de Manuel Adorni “va a ser picante” y anticipó: “Compren pochoclos”
Adorni también hipotecó su departamento anterior: otras dos mujeres le prestaron 100.000 dólares
El mensaje que le mandó la escribana de Adorni a una de las testigos en la causa por enriquecimiento ilícito
¡Eso no se puede! Sol Abraham rompió el aislamiento antes del intercambio de Gran Hermano: qué hizo
ECONOMIA1 día agoEl Gobierno debe $5,6 billones a proveedores, obras sociales, transportes y PAMI por caída ingresos
- INTERNACIONAL2 días ago
El origen de los anillos de Saturno: cómo una antigua luna pudo cambiar la historia del planeta para siempre
- POLITICA2 días ago
Después de conocerse la inflación de marzo, Milei culpó a la guerra y prometió una mejora: «Tarde o temprano las cosas van a estar bien»
