US Imposes Visa Restrictions
on 26 Foreign Nationals Over Illegal Fishing Activities
Key points:
·
On
May 20, Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau said the U.S. is using a
new enforcement tool to target people involved in Illegal, Unreported, and
Unregulated (IUU) fishing.
·
The
action supports President Donald Trump’s 2025 executive order called “Restore
American Seafood Competitiveness.”
·
The
U.S. says IUU fishing harms:
o
American
fishermen
o
fair
seafood markets
o
marine
ecosystems
o
global
fish stocks
Two individuals specifically named:
1.
Pablo
Ferrara
o
Accused
of corruption that helped illegal fishing operations.
o
The
U.S. says his actions hurt fair competition for American fishermen.
o
His
U.S. visa has been revoked.
2. Jose Ali Amador
o
Accused
of illegally harvesting an endangered fish species.
o
Allegedly
connected to trafficking operations near the U.S. border.
o
Subject
to visa restrictions.
The U.S. government stated that people profiting from
illegal fishing “are not welcome in the United States.”
Legal basis:
·
The
restrictions were imposed under Section 212(a)(3)(C) of the U.S. Immigration
and Nationality Act, which allows the U.S. to deny visas to individuals whose
activities may have adverse foreign policy consequences.
What is IUU fishing?
·
Illegal
fishing: fishing without permission or breaking laws.
·
Unreported
fishing: catches not properly reported to authorities.
·
Unregulated
fishing: fishing in areas or ways where no proper controls exist.
Countries worldwide increasingly treat IUU fishing as:
·
an
environmental issue,
·
an
economic issue,
·
and
a national security concern because it is often linked to corruption,
smuggling, trafficking, and organized crime.
[ABS News Service/21.05.2026]
On May 20, Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau
announced the first use of a new tool in the Department’s more assertive global
approach to protecting the U.S. fishing industry and global fish resources. The
Department is taking steps to impose visa restrictions on 26 foreign nationals
responsible for, complicit in, facilitating, or benefiting from illegal,
unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing and IUU fishing-related activities.
This move marks a significant step towards ending impunity
for individuals associated with IUU fishing and fulfilling the promise
President Trump made to the American people in his 2025 Executive Order
to Restore American Seafood Competitiveness. As announced by the Deputy
Secretary on X, among the actions taken against these individuals, the
Trump Administration has revoked the visas of former Argentine official Pablo
Ferrara for corrupt activities that facilitated IUU fishing and undermined fair
market access for American fishermen and Mexican national Jose Ali Amador for
the illegal harvest of an endangered fish species, fueling
trafficking operations along the U.S. border.
The United States and every other country that engages in
fishing must effectively manage its fisheries, and the actions of these
individuals who seek to ignore the rules for short-term, selfish gain at the
expense of U.S. consumers and producers must stop. With these visa restrictions
we are sending a clear message: people who seek to enrich themselves through
IUU fishing are not welcome in the United States.
These actions are being taken pursuant to Section
212(a)(3)(C) of the Immigration and Nationality Act.