The State Department on Monday said it has begun imposing visa restrictions against "owners, executives, and senior officials of travel agencies based and operating in India for knowingly facilitating illegal immigration to the United States."
The department so far has not named any of the people or agencies involved.
The move follows a warning to Indian citizens that was posted by the department on Saturday. "If you remain in the United States beyond your authorized period of stay, you could be deported and could face a permanent ban on traveling to the United States in the future."
The State Department said the new visa restrictions were looking at "those engaged in facilitating illegal immigration and human smuggling and trafficking operations."
Indian citizens are being warned that the visa restriction policy "is global and even applies to individuals who otherwise qualify for the Visa Waiver Program."
The Visa Waiver Program allows citizens of some nations to forgo a visa for periods of up to 90 days for business or recreational travel to the U.S. India is not on the list of approved nations to allow use of the waiver.
On Jan. 20, President Donald Trump issued an executive order covering immigration policies. Included in the order was the requirement that anyone staying in the U.S. longer than 30 days must register with the government.
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