The United States has announced tougher scrutiny of diplomatic and official visa applications after a government review found that some foreign officials who entered the country on behalf of their governments later sought asylum, claiming persecution by those same governments.

🇰🇪 Breaking It Down

U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau on Wednesday said the State Department had completed a five-year review of diplomatic and official visas issued between 2019 and 2023, covering A and G visa holders travelling to the U.S. on government business.

Landau said the review uncovered what he described as widespread abuse of the asylum system, although the State Department did not disclose the countries involved in the findings.

"The first chart below shows the numbers from the 10 most egregious countries," Landau said, explaining that the names had been withheld because the U.S. was taking up the matter through diplomatic channels.

📌 What You Need to Know

According to Landau, one country recorded 420 people who entered the U.S. on diplomatic or official visas during the period and subsequently sought asylum, while two other countries recorded more than 200 such cases.

He added that the figures were also significant when measured against the total number of diplomatic and official visa holders from individual countries.

"There's one country from which 17.25 per cent of all persons who entered on diplomatic or official visas sought asylum, and two other countries had over 10 per cent," Landau added.

The U.S. diplomat who once served as its ambassador to Haiti said the findings had prompted the Trump administration to direct American embassies to subject diplomatic and official visa applications to greater scrutiny, particularly in countries considered to have recorded the highest numbers.

"Under the administration of President Donald Trump and Marco Rubio, we've instructed our Embassies abroad (especially in the most egregious countries) to scrutinise these visa applications very carefully, and those involved will be held accountable," Landau said.

Kenya has not been identified as one of the countries in the review, and there is currently no evidence from Landau's statement linking Kenyan officials to the figures released by the U.S.

📰 Source: Kenyans.co.ke