US Announces Global Visa Restrictions for Cybercrime and Sextortion

US has announced a new global visa restriction policy. The latest policy targets individuals involved in cybercrime and cyber-enabled offences. This includes applicants who will be found involved with online investment scams and sextortion. Announcing the measure, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the policy could also apply to immediate family members of those responsible for or complicit in such activities. "The United States will go after those who prey on our citizens,” he added. The new policy, introduced under Section 212(a)(3)(C) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, is part of the Trump administration's broader efforts to combat international cybercrime networks. In a statement, Rubio said, “This policy targets individuals responsible for, or complicit in, cybercrime and cyber-enabled crime, such as those involved in cyberscams, and sextortion. Immediate family members of individuals engaged in such illicit activities may also be subjected to visa restrictions. "

In a statement, Rubio wrote:“As President Trump made clear in E.O. 14390 on Combatting Cybercrime, Fraud, and Predatory Schemes Against American Citizens, his administration is taking action to counter an unprecedented threat from online investment scams. Often orchestrated by Chinese transnational criminal organizations, scammers have defrauded U.S. citizens of at least $10 billion in 2024 alone while fueling corruption, money laundering, and human trafficking. American children also have been specifically targeted by offenders operating overseas for sextortion scams, devastating families and futures. Today, I am announcing a new global visa restriction policy under Section 212(a)(3)(C) of the Immigration and Nationality Act. This policy targets individuals responsible for, or complicit in, cybercrime and cyber-enabled crime, such as those involved in cyberscams, and sextortion. Immediate family members of individuals engaged in such illicit activities may also be subjected to visa restrictions. The Trump Administration is deploying every tool at our disposal—sanctions, prosecutions, asset seizures, extradition requests, and international law enforcement cooperation—to dismantle criminal scam networks and impose costs on those who enable them. By restricting visa issuance to those who are responsible for or complicit in these criminal enterprises, we are sending a clear message: The United States will go after those who prey on our citizens.”