Latest news with #USStateDepartment
The Independent
an hour ago
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Mexican band forced to cancel US show after Trump administration denies entry
An acclaimed Mexican regional music band has announced the cancellation of their scheduled performance at a California music festival this weekend. Grupo Firme shared the news after the suspension of the musicians' visas by the United States government. In a statement posted on their Instagram account, the band explained that the visas of the group and their team are currently under "administrative review by the US Embassy," rendering it "impossible" for them to perform at La Onda Fest in Napa Valley, California, on June 1. The band, which has gained international recognition for its Mexican regional music, did not elaborate on the long-term implications of the visa issues. The US State Department's decision to revoke the visas of several Mexican musicians is reportedly due to their performance of music that allegedly glorifies cartel violence. However, the US Embassy in Mexico has cited the confidentiality of visa cases under US law, declining to provide further details regarding the matter. The suspension is just the latest in a series of moves the administration of US President Donald Trump has taken targeting Mexican artists in the genre, who in some cases have glorified the leaders of cartels as sort of Robin Hood figures. While the genre of 'narco-corridos' has stirred controversy, much of the music also speaks to the harsh realities facing Mexican youth caught in cartel violence. Two months ago, the Mexican musical group Los Alegres del Barranco was sanctioned after it projected images of the leader of the feared Jalisco New Generation Cartel at a concert in the western state of Jalisco. 'I'm a firm believer in freedom of expression, but that doesn't mean that expression should be free of consequences,' US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau said at the time. 'The last thing we need is a welcome mat for people who extol criminals and terrorists.' But Grupo Firme has taken steps in recent months to distance itself from the facet of the musical genre glorifying criminal groups, announcing in April shortly after the controversy that it would not sing such music in concerts.
AsiaOne
6 hours ago
- Politics
- AsiaOne
Trump administration orders enhanced vetting of all Harvard University-linked visa applicants, World News
WASHINGTON -The US State Department ordered all its consular missions overseas to begin additional vetting of visa applicants looking to travel to Harvard University for any purpose, according to an internal cable seen by Reuters on Friday (May 30), in a move that significantly expands President Donald Trump's crackdown against the academic institution. In a cable dated May 30 and sent to all US diplomatic and consular posts, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio instructed the immediate start of "additional vetting of any non-immigrant visa applicant seeking to travel to Harvard University for any purpose." Such applicants include but are not limited to prospective students, students, faculty, employees, contractors, guest speakers, and tourists, the cable said. The word "any" in the cable text is written in bold format and underlined. Harvard University failed to maintain "a campus environment free from violence and anti-Semitism", the cable said, and that the enhanced vetting measures were aimed at helping consular officers identify visa applicants "with histories of anti-Semitic harassment and violence." While the US has previously required additional vetting of visa applicants from particular countries, applying such procedures against Harvard appears to be an unprecedented use of the visa process against a university that has fallen out of favour with the administration. The additional measures for Harvard-linked applicants were first reported by Fox News, but the cable itself has not been previously reported. The State Department does not comment on its internal documents or communications, a department spokesperson said in an email when asked about the cable. The Trump administration has launched a multifront attack on the nation's oldest and wealthiest university, freezing billions of dollars in grants and other funding, proposing to end its tax-exempt status and opening an investigation into whether it discriminated against white, Asian, male or straight employees or job applicants. Trump alleges top US universities are cradles of anti-American movements. In a dramatic escalation, his administration last week revoked Harvard's ability to enroll foreign students, a move later blocked by a federal judge. Harvard argues the Trump administration is retaliating against it for refusing to accede to its demands to control the school's governance, curriculum and the ideology of its faculty and students. Private social media accounts The move is also part of the Trump administration's intensifying immigration crackdown and follows Rubio's order to stop scheduling new appointments for student and exchange visitor visa applicants. The top US diplomat also said earlier this week that Washington will start revoking the visas of Chinese students with links to the Chinese Communist Party and those who are studying in critical areas. Implementation of this order will also serve as a "pilot for expanded screening and vetting of visa applicants," the cable adds, raising the possibility of the measures taken against Harvard and visa applicants being used as a template for other universities. The order also directs consular officers to consider questioning the credibility of the applicant if the individual's social media accounts are private, as that may be reflective of "evasiveness," and instructs them to ask applicants to set their accounts to public. The officers can remind the applicant that "limited access to or visibility of social media activity could be construed as an effort to evade or hide certain activity," the cable said. [[nid:718591]] The cable instructs the consular officers to consider any information about the applicant that does not raise to the level of inadmissibility to ensure that the applicant's claimed purpose of travel is consistent with the visa they are seeking. "If you are not personally and completely satisfied that the applicant, during his time in the United States, will engage in activities consistent with his non-immigrant visa status, you should refuse the visa...," the cable said. Such a recommendation would follow comments from Rubio in recent months saying he has personally revoked the visas of hundreds, perhaps thousands of people, including students, because they got involved in activities that go against US foreign policy priorities. "If you're coming here to create problems, you're probably going to have a problem," Rubio told reporters on April 7. "We're not going to continue to be stupid enough to let people into our country who are coming here to tear things up."
Hindustan Times
7 hours ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
On Cam: China's Spooked Reaction To Trump's Huge Taiwan Weapon Aim, Chinese Students' Visa Trouble
China issued a sharp response to US' plans to revoke visas of Chinese students. China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Lin Jian termed Washington's move as "ideological bias and Cold War zero-sum mentality". This comes after US State Department spokesperson Tammy Brce warned Chinese nationals will face repeated vetting, claiming that the CPC is 'exploiting' American universities.
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Mexican band Grupo Firme cancels US show, saying their visas were suspended by Trump administration
MEXICO CITY (AP) — The popular Mexican regional music band Grupo Firme announced on Friday that it was canceling a performance in a music festival in California over the weekend after the United States government suspended the musicians' visas. It comes after the U.S. State Department has revoked visas of a number of Mexican musicians for playing a genre of music that it says glorifies cartel violence. The group, which has soared to international fame playing Mexican regional music, said in a statement posted on its Instagram account that the visas of them and their team are currently under 'administrative review by the U.S. Embassy" and that it would make it 'impossible' for them to perform in the La Onda Fest to be held in the city of Napa Valley, California on June 1. But the post didn't detail what it would mean in the long term for the musical group. The U.S. Embassy in Mexico said that visa cases are confidential according to U.S. law and couldn't provide more information on the case. The suspension is just the latest in a series of moves the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has taken targeting Mexican artists in the genre, who in some cases have glorified the leaders of cartels as sort of Robin Hood figures. While the genre of 'narco-corridos' has stirred controversy, much of the music also speaks to the harsh realities facing Mexican youth caught in cartel violence. Two months ago, the Mexican musical group Los Alegres del Barranco was sanctioned after it projected images of the leader of the feared Jalisco New Generation Cartel at a concert in the western state of Jalisco. 'I'm a firm believer in freedom of expression, but that doesn't mean that expression should be free of consequences,' U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau said at the time. 'The last thing we need is a welcome mat for people who extol criminals and terrorists.' But Grupo Firme has taken steps in recent months to distance itself from the facet of the musical genre glorifying criminal groups, announcing in April shortly after the controversy that it would not sing such music in concerts.
The Independent
8 hours ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Mexican band Grupo Firme cancels US show, saying their visas were suspended by Trump administration
The popular Mexican regional music band Grupo Firme announced on Friday that it was canceling a performance in a music festival in California over the weekend after the United States government suspended the musicians' visas. It comes after the U.S. State Department has revoked visas of a number of Mexican musicians for playing a genre of music that it says glorifies cartel violence. The group, which has soared to international fame playing Mexican regional music, said in a statement posted on its Instagram account that the visas of them and their team are currently under 'administrative review by the U.S. Embassy" and that it would make it 'impossible' for them to perform in the La Onda Fest to be held in the city of Napa Valley, California on June 1. But the post didn't detail what it would mean in the long term for the musical group. The U.S. Embassy in Mexico said that visa cases are confidential according to U.S. law and couldn't provide more information on the case. The suspension is just the latest in a series of moves the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has taken targeting Mexican artists in the genre, who in some cases have glorified the leaders of cartels as sort of Robin Hood figures. While the genre of 'narco-corridos' has stirred controversy, much of the music also speaks to the harsh realities facing Mexican youth caught in cartel violence. Two months ago, the Mexican musical group Los Alegres del Barranco was sanctioned after it projected images of the leader of the feared Jalisco New Generation Cartel at a concert in the western state of Jalisco. 'I'm a firm believer in freedom of expression, but that doesn't mean that expression should be free of consequences,' U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau said at the time. 'The last thing we need is a welcome mat for people who extol criminals and terrorists.' But Grupo Firme has taken steps in recent months to distance itself from the facet of the musical genre glorifying criminal groups, announcing in April shortly after the controversy that it would not sing such music in concerts.
