The U.S. government said Friday that it has stopped issuing travel visas to people from Burundi because the country is not taking back citizens facing deportation from the United States.
Burundi was penalized with the visa restrictions because the government of the country has “denied or unreasonably delayed” issuing travel documents needed to repatriate its citizens, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said in a statement.
“As the leadership changes for Burundi, we’re hopeful for a renewed commitment to cooperation between our nations for the benefit of each country’s citizens,” acting DHS Secretary Chad Wolf said.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement later said there are five citizens of Burundi in its custody awaiting deportation, all of whom have criminal convictions, and that there are an additional 500 in the country who have been ordered deported by an immigration judge but are not in its custody.
Under President Donald Trump, the U.S. has imposed visa restrictions on Gambia, Cambodia, Eritrea, Guinea, and Sierra Leone to pressure them to accept the return of their citizens, citing international legal obligations.
