The US State Department on Monday announced it would impose visa restrictions on owners and officials at travel agencies based in India who knowingly enable illegal immigration to the US.
State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce said US diplomatic staff in India are working to “actively identify and target those engaged in facilitating illegal immigration and human smuggling and trafficking operations”.
The crackdown targets travel agencies that secure visitor visas for supposed tourists who then overstay and fail to return to India.
“We will continue to take steps to impose visa restrictions against owners, executives and senior officials of travel agencies to cut off alien smuggling networks,” Ms Bruce said in a statement.
Anyone who overstays a visa is at risk of being deported or faces a permanent ban from securing future visas.
Since taking office in January, President Donald Trump has moved to halt illegal immigration to the US and has sought to increase deportations.
