WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration is revoking the visas of 27 Latin American officials, former officials and their families, including Bolivia’s attorney general, over accusations of corruption.
The officials and their families come from Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru — all nations with right-leaning leaders friendly with President Donald Trump. Secretary of State Marco Rubio visited Colombia, Ecuador and Peru this month, pledging U.S. support for their efforts to combat drug and human trafficking.
Those leaders have complained that many of those targeted by the visa revocations were hindering their efforts to fight crime.
The State Department announced the revocations Monday, saying they were being done “to fulfill the commitments to defend democratic governance across our hemisphere against corruption and narco-trafficking.”
“Undermining a democratically-elected government is a threat to security and rule of law in the Americas and will not be tolerated,” it said in a statement.
The Trump administration is billing the revocations as part of its broader efforts to clamp down on corruption, particularly related to the narcotics trade and illegal migration, by members of the U.S.-led “Shield of the Americas” bloc in the Western Hemipshere that Trump created this year.
The State Department has been denying permission to travel to the United States as a way to crack down on immigration or as a pressure tool against some governments, ranging from bans on South African officials accused of discrimination against white people to refusing to issue visas to the Palestinian delegation to attend an annual meeting of world leaders at the United Nations.
The 27 targeted include Bolivian Attorney General Roger Mariaca and more than 20 other Bolivian prosecutors and judges, 12 of whom were named as current visa holders and nine who will be denied visas should they apply. Two Colombians, a business mogul and a lawmaker, along with two Ecuadorians and one Peruvian judge are also affected.
Mariaca, who was elected to a six-year term in 2024, is accused of abusing his public position by soliciting and accepting bribes to facilitate narcotrafficking and is also accused of helping violent criminals evade justice, according to the documents.
“His actions endanger President Trump's efforts to combat narcoterrorism while undermining the very democratic institutions Bolivia, as a Shield participant, is working to strengthen,” the statement said.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio stands with Lebanon's Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, not shown, at the State Department, Monday, Sept. 28, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
PUERTO SAN CARLOS, Mexico (AP) — Residents of Mexico’s Baja California Sur state boarded up homes and workers hauled dirt and rubble to shore up embankments as Hurricane Polo bore down on the peninsula Monday, threatening high winds, floods and mudslides. Meanwhile, Hurricane Nolo could still bring torrential rain to parts of Hawaii even as the storm edged away from the state.
In Puerto San Carlos, a fishing town of about 5,700 people, some feared high tides and pounding waves from Polo could breach barriers and send seawater into the community. Some families planned to head to shelters in Ciudad Constitucion, about 37 miles (60 kilometers) away, while dozens of people elsewhere in the state were evacuated.
“Civil Protection told those of us here in San Carlos to evacuate because this is a high-risk area. With the current tides, the expected waves and the wind, the earthen barriers they built (to prevent flooding) could give way,” Rocío Sánchez, a fisherwoman, said.
Polo was a Category 3 storm with top sustained winds of 115 mph (185 kph) Monday morning, the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said. Forecasters said it would hit the Mexican mainland after lashing Baja California Sur with heavy rains, potentially causing life-threatening flooding and mudslides. It could bring heavy rain and flooding to parts of the U.S. Southwest later in the week.
“Polo is forecast to be near major hurricane strength when it reaches Baja California Sur later today, and is anticipated to be a hurricane when it makes landfall in mainland Mexico late tonight or early Tuesday morning,” the center said.
By Monday morning, waves began to crash and flood coastal areas. Laura Velázquez, national coordinator of Mexico’s Civil Protection Agency, reported that Polo would make landfall later in the afternoon.
At a Monday morning news briefing, she urged residents to stay off the streets and seek shelter if their homes are at risk. She said travel will be suspended in the area where the hurricane was expected to make landfall and that ports across the region would be closed.
Nolo, meanwhile, was well southwest of Hawaii and moving away from the Big Island as the weekend drew to a close, but a wind advisory and high surf advisory remained in effect for parts of the island through Monday morning. Nolo’s maximum sustained winds increased to near 155 mph (249 kph).
Storm activity in the Pacific has been above average during what is already the peak of hurricane season, according to National Weather Service lead forecaster Bob Oravec. He said that pattern is consistent with El Nino years, when the Pacific often sees more tropical storms and hurricanes.
With Polo approaching Mexico, the Mexican navy said it has gathered personnel and humanitarian aid in the ports of Guaymas and Mazatlan, on the Pacific Coast, and deployed three vessels that could ship aid to coastal communities isolated by the storm.
One of the towns in the hurricane’s projected path is San Juanico, a small fishing community on Baja’s Pacific coast. The town has only had full-time electricity for a few years, and still experiences frequent outages. There is concern that washed-out roads could block access to medical facilities.
“Our people are concerned about this event,” said Gloriely Robles Meza, a manager at a small hotel. “We haven’t faced such a worrying situation in many years.”
Robles Meza said Sunday that army soldiers arrived in San Juanico to prepare a shelter and provide support for possible emergencies.
Also Sunday, Tropical Storm Rachel formed well off Mexico's southwest coast. The hurricane center said Rachel had maximum sustained winds of 50 mph (82 kph) and was located about 230 miles (370 kilometers) south-southwest of Acapulco. No coastal watches or warnings were in effect.
Forecasters said Nolo’s outer bands could cause life-threatening flooding and mudslides, with parts of the Big Island possibly getting up to 20 inches (50 centimeters) of rain. Heavy rain also was expected on the other islands.
More than 120 National Guard members were activated, part of roughly 400 statewide after the governor issued an emergency proclamation. President Donald Trump recently approved an emergency declaration, authorizing the Federal Emergency Management Agency to coordinate assistance and provide funding support.
Hawaii residents are still recovering from Hurricane Lala, which produced heavy rain and winds strong enough to sweep about 100 homes off their foundations on the Big Island.
Photojournalist Eduardo Verdugo contributed from Puerto San Carlos, Mexico, and writer Megan Janetsky contributed from Mexico City. Videojournalist Eugene Garcia and photographer Gregory Bull contributed from Hilo, Hawaii.
This satellite image provided by NOAA shows Tropical Storm Nolo, left, south of Hawaii; Hurricane Odalys, middle, and Hurricane Polo, right, off the coast of Mexico, in the Pacific Ocean on Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026. (NOAA via AP)
Workers build a barricade to help keep water out of their town as Hurricane Polo approaches in Puerto San Carlos, Baja California Sur state, Mexico, Sunday, Sept. 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)
A man boards up a house's windows as Hurricane Polo approaches in Puerto San Carlos, Baja California Sur state, Mexico, Sunday, Sept. 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)
Workers build a barricade to help keep water out of their town as Hurricane Polo approaches in Puerto San Carlos, Baja California Sur state, Mexico, Sunday, Sept. 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)
Peggy McKibbin looks at where floodwaters from nearby Hurricane Nolo run past widespread damage from last month's Hurricane Lala Sunday, Sept. 27, 2026, in Naalehu, Hawaii. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
Fire Captain Lui Sales of the Hawaii Fire Department looks for residents to help as rainwater from nearby Hurricane Nolo flood a section of Mamalahoa highway Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026, near Naalehu, Hawaii. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
A man rides with his son near where a home was destroyed during last month's Hurricane Lala, as floodwaters from Hurricane Nolo recedes Sunday, Sept. 27, 2026, in Naalehu, Hawaii. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
