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
Federal appeals court clears way for DeSantis-backed law restricting children at some drag shows
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
A divided federal appeals court cleared the way for Florida to enforce a Gov. Ron DeSantis-backed law restricting children from certain sexually explicit live performances, including drag performances the state argues are obscene for minors.
The full U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit ruled Tuesday 8-5 that Orlando restaurant Hamburger Mary’s had not shown it was likely to succeed in its First and Fourteenth Amendment challenge to Florida’s Protection of Children Act.
The court vacated the preliminary injunction in full and sent the case back to the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida for further proceedings. The ruling clears the way for enforcement, though Hamburger Mary’s could still seek additional review.
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier celebrated the decision in a post on X.
DESANTIS SHUTS DOWN FLORIDA SCHOOL’S ‘DRAG & DONUTS’ EVENT FEATURING DRAG QUEEN ‘MOMMA’ ASHLEY ROSE: REPORT
Florida AG James Uthmeier, center, touted Tuesday’s decision in a post on X. (Rich Pope/Getty Images, File)
«Huge victory for our team at the 11th Circuit! After 3 years of litigation, the full court affirmed the constitutionality of Florida’s ban on children attending sexualized drag shows,» Uthmeier wrote.
The law makes it a misdemeanor to «knowingly admit a child to an adult live performance,» according to the court’s opinion.
The law defines an «adult live performance» as a live show that «depicts or simulates nudity, sexual conduct, sexual excitement, or specific sexual activities … lewd conduct, or the lewd exposure of prosthetic or imitation genitals or breasts» and that also predominantly appeals to a «prurient, shameful, or morbid interest,» is «patently offensive» for the age of the child present and, taken as a whole, lacks serious literary, artistic, political or scientific value for that child’s age.
Writing for the court, Judge Andrew Brasher called the law «a straightforward regulation of obscenity.»
«Preventing children from attending adult live performances obscene for them is rationally related to Florida’s interest in safeguarding the well-being of minors,» Brasher wrote.
TIKTOK IN LEGAL HOT SEAT AS STATE ACCUSES APP OF EXPOSING KIDS TO HARMFUL CONTENT WHILE MISLEADING PARENTS
A drag performer in Miami. (Getty Images, File)
The majority rejected Hamburger Mary’s arguments that the terms «lewd» and «the age of the child present» made the law unconstitutionally vague or overly broad.
Brasher wrote that Florida Supreme Court precedent limits the meaning of «lewd» to sexual conduct. He also wrote that all three parts of the law’s obscenity test must be met before a performance is prohibited.
The majority also ruled that using an age-variable standard did not make the law unconstitutional on its face.
Eight judges agreed that Hamburger Mary’s was unlikely to succeed on the merits of its constitutional claims. Six judges joined Brasher’s opinion in full, while Judges Kevin Newsom and Britt Grant joined all but the section addressing universal injunctions.
Grant wrote separately that the court did not need to rule on the scope of the injunction after deciding that Hamburger Mary’s was unlikely to succeed on the merits.
Five judges dissented.
FIRED SCHOOL COUNSELOR LOSES AGAIN AFTER FREE SPEECH FIGHT OVER GENDER-THEMED BOOKS IN HIS OFFICE
A drag queen performs onstage in Miami. (Getty Images, File)
Judge Robin Rosenbaum argued that the law forces venues to guess which performances are suitable for children of different ages while exposing operators to criminal penalties, fines and the possible loss of a business license.
«Today our Court embraces mess-around-and-find-out (‘MAFO’) First Amendment jurisprudence,» Rosenbaum wrote.
She argued that the law could chill protected speech by forcing businesses to risk prosecution before learning how officials would apply it.
Rosenbaum also argued that the statute effectively imposes strict liability over a child’s age and could expose violators to jail, fines and the loss of a business license.
US MONITORING ‘CONCERNING’ UK PROSECUTION OF RETIRED PASTOR WHO PREACHED JOHN 3:16 NEAR HOSPITAL
People take in a drag performance in Orlando, Fla. (Getty Images, File)
She wrote that the law «wields a Titanic-sized iceberg of chilling power against protected speech.»
Judge Nancy Abudu filed a separate dissent focused on the law’s legislative history.
Abudu argued that comments from the law’s supporters, along with warnings from legislative staff, supported Hamburger Mary’s claim that the measure would chill protected drag performances.
The majority rejected that argument, writing that courts generally do not strike down an otherwise constitutional law based on an alleged improper legislative motive.
INDIANA REPUBLICAN SENATOR MOVES TO BLOCK KIDS FROM ACCESSING PORN ONLINE
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks with reporters at the Florida State Capitol in Tallahassee. (Matias J. Ocner/Miami Herald/Tribune News Service via Getty Images, File)
The majority also wrote that nothing in the law targets performances simply because they feature drag.
Hamburger Mary’s filed the lawsuit in 2023 after Florida enacted the measure.
The restaurant said it had previously hosted Sunday drag performances advertised as family-friendly but canceled those shows and barred minors from its other performances because it feared enforcement.
A federal district judge initially issued a preliminary injunction blocking enforcement of the law. A divided three-judge panel of the 11th Circuit affirmed that decision before the full court agreed to rehear the case.
DeSantis’ and Uthmeier’s offices, as well as the ACLU of Florida, did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
florida, first amendment, federal courts, federal judges, ron desantis, legislation, politics
INTERNACIONAL
Estados Unidos cancela la visa de la embajadora de Brasil en un nuevo roce diplomático
INTERNACIONAL
Expresidente de Colombia tildó a Daniel Ortega de delincuente y criminal durante un acto de la Cepal
El expresidente colombiano Iván Duque calificó este martes a Daniel Ortega de “delincuente” y “criminal” durante la presentación de un informe de la Comisión Económica para América Latina y el Caribe (CEPAL), que vincula el desarrollo de América Latina y el Caribe con el fortalecimiento de la democracia y las instituciones.
El documento, titulado Rupturas y oportunidades: propuestas para que América Latina y el Caribe prospere en la nueva era geopolítica, advierte que la región enfrenta un escenario marcado por la competencia geopolítica, la erosión democrática y el debilitamiento del multilateralismo.
Según Centroamérica 360, el informe plantea que el fortalecimiento institucional es una condición indispensable para el desarrollo regional.
Duque intervino en la presentación del estudio como copresidente de la comisión convocada por la Comisión Económica para América Latina y el Caribe, junto con la expresidenta chilena Michelle Bachelet. Al referirse a Nicaragua, dijo que el país encarna el caso contrario al modelo que propone el informe.
“Nicaragua es todo menos eso; no es una democracia, es una dictadura opresora, con una centralización de todos los poderes y, por lo tanto, una pérdida absoluta de confianza y de interés de inversionistas que vean oportunidades de negocio en ese país”, expresó Duque.
El exmandatario colombiano endureció su posición al mencionar de forma directa al político nicaragüense. “Creo que Daniel Ortega es un delincuente, es un criminal y yo espero que Daniel Ortega encuentre su futuro en la justicia, que es lo que le corresponde”, afirmó Duque.
La publicación también consignó que Duque reclamó una respuesta de la justicia internacional por las violaciones a los derechos humanos que atribuyó al régimen nicaragüense. Denunció encarcelamientos, torturas y expulsiones de opositores por defender libremente sus ideas.
“Lo que ha hecho con las personas que han sido llevadas a la cárcel, torturadas y expulsadas por defender libremente sus ideas demuestra que no tiene cabida bajo ningún prisma de legalidad”, añadió el exmandatario colombiano.
Ese señalamiento se inscribió en una idea central del informe de la CEPAL: la región solo podrá aprovechar sus recursos estratégicos y fortalecer su posición internacional si cuenta con instituciones sólidas, gobernanza efectiva y Estados capaces de generar confianza. La tesis del documento vincula desarrollo, estabilidad democrática y capacidad de atraer inversión.
Duque sostuvo además que Nicaragua tiene un amplio potencial económico y social, pero afirmó que ese desarrollo dependerá de la recuperación del orden democrático. Su planteamiento conectó la situación interna del país con una de las conclusiones de fondo del estudio presentado por la comisión regional.
“Espero que Nicaragua recupere el orden democrático y recupere el potencial que tiene en muchísimos sectores, y que ese potencial se base en la solidez de sus instituciones, en la confianza, en la seguridad y en valores compartidos, entre ellos el valor de la defensa irrestricta de la libertad”, indicó el colombiano.
La comisión que elaboró el informe fue convocada para examinar los desafíos geopolíticos de América Latina y el Caribe en la actual etapa internacional. Entre sus conclusiones, sostiene que la prosperidad regional exige instituciones democráticas fuertes, gobernanza eficaz y marcos estatales que ofrezcan confianza pública y previsibilidad.
Nicaragua,Daniel Ortega,Dictadura,Colombia,Iván Duque
Gustavo Conti celebró los 25 años de su entrada a Gran Hermano: “Mi vida cambiaba para siempre”
La Justicia no pudo determinar que los videos de Jésica Cirio en el vestidor sean auténticos
Un peritaje concluyó que no se puede determinar si el video de los dólares de Jesica Cirio en un vestidor fue alterado
Federal appeals court clears way for DeSantis-backed law restricting children at some drag shows
De los furiosos insultos de Milei al retiro del embajador de Lula: día a día, cómo fue la escalada diplomática entre Argentina y Brasil
Enner Valencia, a un paso de ser refuerzo de Boca Juniors: qué resta para que la transferencia se haga oficial
“Vamos a acelerar con todo”: el objetivo del Gobierno por las reformas y la agenda electoral de cara al 2027
Javier Milei cruzó a Victoria Villarruel y elevó la tensión: “Es una opositora, replica los argumentos kirchneristas”
Reelecciones indefinidas: el oficialismo bonaerense niega que busque ampliar la Legislatura como parte de una reforma política para beneficiar a los intendentes
¡Chau Luck Ra! La salida de soltera de La Joaqui, muy bien acompañada, a días de su separación
-
POLITICA3 días ago“Vamos a acelerar con todo”: el objetivo del Gobierno por las reformas y la agenda electoral de cara al 2027
-
POLITICA1 día agoJavier Milei cruzó a Victoria Villarruel y elevó la tensión: “Es una opositora, replica los argumentos kirchneristas”
-
POLITICA2 días agoReelecciones indefinidas: el oficialismo bonaerense niega que busque ampliar la Legislatura como parte de una reforma política para beneficiar a los intendentes