Announcing the policy on Thursday, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the move forms part of President Donald Trump’s broader campaign to combat cybercrime, online fraud and sextortion targeting American citizens.
The restrictions, introduced under Section 212(a)(3)(C) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, will allow the U.S. government to deny visas to foreign nationals found to be responsible for or complicit in cybercrime and cyber-enabled criminal activities. Immediate family members of those involved may also be barred from entering the United States.
The announcement follows President Trump’s Executive Order 14390 on Combating Cybercrime, Fraud, and Predatory Schemes Against American Citizens, which directed federal agencies to intensify efforts against global scam networks.
Trump administration broadens crackdown
According to the U.S. State Department, online investment scams—often referred to as “pig butchering” schemes—have become an unprecedented threat to Americans.
U.S. officials said many of the operations are orchestrated by Chinese transnational criminal organizations that also engage in corruption, money laundering and human trafficking.
The State Department estimates that U.S. citizens lost at least $10 billion to online investment scams in 2024, while American children have increasingly been targeted through online sextortion schemes operated from overseas.
The new visa policy is designed to target individuals involved in a range of cyber-enabled crimes, including investment fraud, cyberscams and sextortion.
Beyond visa restrictions, Washington said it will continue deploying a broad range of tools against cybercrime networks, including economic sanctions, criminal prosecutions, asset seizures, extradition requests and international law enforcement cooperation.
“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,” Rubio said in a statement.
Although the announcement did not identify specific countries, the State Department noted that many large-scale online fraud operations are linked to transnational criminal organizations operating across multiple jurisdictions.
The policy carries implications for cybercrime suspects worldwide, including in Africa, where authorities have stepped up cooperation with the United States and international partners to combat online fraud, financial crime and digital scams targeting foreign victims.
The latest move also expands the Trump administration’s use of visa restrictions as a foreign policy tool, extending penalties beyond alleged offenders to immediate family members in an effort to increase pressure on criminal networks operating across borders.
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