Secretary of State Marco Rubio rolled out a new visa restriction policy today, targeting foreign officials who orchestrate or abet the forced return of Uyghurs and other vulnerable ethnic or religious groups to China.
The move, announced in a press statement, aims to slam the brakes on what Rubio calls China’s global campaign to drag these groups back to face torture and vanishings.
Effective immediately, the policy zeroes in on current and former Thai officials tied to the February 27 deportation of 40 Uyghurs from Thailand—a first salvo under the new rules.
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“We’re hitting back at China’s pressure tactics,” Rubio declared, pointing to Beijing’s “genocide and crimes against humanity” against Uyghurs as the moral firepower behind the policy.
Grounded in Section 212(a)(3)(C) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, the measure lets the State Department bar visas for officials implicated in these forced returns, with potential bans extending to their families.
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Rubio urged nations worldwide to halt such deportations, amplifying a U.S. stance that’s long spotlighted China’s human rights record.
The policy lands as tensions simmer over Beijing’s treatment of Uyghurs and other minorities, thrusting Thailand—and others who might follow—into Washington’s crosshairs.
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