Trump Admin Pulls Visas From 50 Mexican Officials Over Cartel Ties

The Trump administration has stripped at least 50 Mexican politicians of their visas, saying the officials have ties to drug cartels.

While previous administrations have taken similar actions, the Trump administration is revoking visas at an unprecedented scale, Reuters reported.

President Donald Trump’s previous acting Drug Enforcement Administration Administrator Derek Maltz told The Daily Wire that there’s “a long history of the cartels relying on corrupt officials and politicians in Mexico to advance their criminal goals.”

“Travel to America, the greatest country in the world, is a privilege, not a right. Travel visas for individuals are not automatic and I’m glad to see that the State Department is scrutinizing them at a new level,” he said.

“Nobody should be surprised that this administration is looking outside the box and will use all capabilities to make it difficult for the cartels to continue to kill Americans at record levels,” he added.

A senior State Department official told The Daily Wire that the Trump administration has had “a good working relationship” with the Mexican government led by President Claudia Sheinbaum and looks “forward to continuing to advance our bilateral relationship in the interest of the America first foreign policy agenda.”

Visas can be revoked for many reasons, including violations of American law, overstaying permissions, corruption, drug trafficking, acting as an agent of the Chinese Communist Party, espionage, aiding illegal immigration, the official said. However, the official didn’t confirm the visa revocations.

The Trump administration has prioritized efforts to counter drug cartels and has taken out 27 alleged “narcoterrorists” in kinetic strikes on multiple vessels traversing international waters that were believed to be transporting deadly drugs.

The War Department carried out such a strike off the coast of Venezuela Tuesday morning, taking out six alleged drug traffickers.

“Unprecedented death and destruction to American communities and families requires unprecedented action by the United States government,” said Maltz.

The cartels’ control over Mexican administrations has increased in recent years as presidents shy away from fighting the narcotraffickers, according to a 2024 report by the Texas Public Policy Foundation. An estimated 35% to 40% of Mexico is controlled by the drug cartels.