The United States has announced a new visa restriction policy targeting foreign officials and others accused of obstructing efforts to resolve international parental child-abduction cases.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the policy on Monday, saying individuals responsible for or complicit in delaying the return of children to their country of habitual residence could face visa restrictions.
The restrictions will also apply to immediate family members of affected individuals.
“Today, I am announcing a new policy to restrict visa issuance to individuals responsible for, or complicit in, impeding the prompt resolution of international parental child abduction cases, as well as their immediate family members,” Rubio said.
The policy covers foreign government officials, judges, judicial administrators, law-enforcement officials and others who intentionally obstruct efforts to resolve such cases or fail to comply with laws, policies or court orders concerning the return of children.
Rubio said the measure would provide the State Department with another tool to pressure countries to meet their obligations under international law.
“Protecting American children abducted across international borders and reuniting them with their parents is a top priority for the Trump Administration,” he said.
The announcement followed the release of the US State Department’s annual report on international parental child abduction, which identified 14 countries as having demonstrated a pattern of non-compliance with the 1980 Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction.
The countries listed are Argentina, The Bahamas, Belize, Brazil, Ecuador, Egypt, Honduras, India, Jordan, Peru, Poland, Serbia, South Korea and the United Arab Emirates.
The Hague Convention seeks the prompt return of children who have been wrongfully removed from or retained outside their country of habitual residence.
The State Department said the new policy would apply where individuals intentionally fail to implement or comply with relevant laws, policies or court orders aimed at resolving international parental child-abduction cases.
The policy does not impose a blanket visa restriction on citizens of the countries named in the report. Instead, the United States said restrictions would be directed at individuals determined to have obstructed the resolution of specific cases.
The move is the latest use of visa restrictions by the Trump administration as a foreign-policy and accountability tool.
The administration has also recently revoked or restricted visas for officials from several countries over allegations involving corruption, narcotics trafficking and other conduct.
