November 24, 2020
On November 10, the United States announced that it will be imposing visa restrictions on wildlife and timber traffickers.
The US Department of State said:
“Today, the United States is announcing a first-of-its-kind visa restriction on wildlife and timber traffickers. Wildlife and timber trafficking are serious transnational organized crime activities that threaten national security, undermine economic prosperity, fuel corruption, and spread disease.
“This new visa restriction, which relies on section 212(a)(3)(C) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, is now in effect. This new tool will help disrupt the movements and business of transnational criminal organizations, making it harder for them to smuggle illegal wildlife and timber. The Department of State will also impose restrictions on the immediate family of traffickers who are believed to be complicit or involved in wildlife and timber trafficking. With the implementation of this new tool, the United States continues its leadership in strengthening law enforcement, countering corruption, combating organized crime, and protecting our precious natural world”.
This new measure could have impact on operators in both the wildlife and timber trade here.