The Trump administration already has denied visas for Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas and his large delegation to attend a high-level U.N. meeting this month and is now considering ramping up restrictions on several other delegations that would severely limit their ability to travel outside New York City.
Potential travel and other restrictions could soon be imposed on the delegations from Iran, Sudan, Zimbabwe and, perhaps surprisingly, Brazil, which has held a traditional place of honor during the high-level leaders gathering at the U.N. General Assembly that begins Sept. 22, according to an internal State Department memo seen by The Associated Press.
While the potential restrictions are still under consideration and the circumstances could change, the proposals would be another step in the Trump administration’s crackdown on visas, including a wide-ranging review of those already holding legal permissions to come to the U.S. and those seeking entry to head to the U.N. meeting.
The movements of Iranian diplomats are severely limited in New York, but one proposal being floated would bar them from shopping at big, members-only wholesale stores like Costco and Sam’s Club without first receiving the express permission of the State Department.
Such stores have been a favorite of Iranian diplomats posted to and visiting New York because they are able to buy large quantities of products not available in their economically isolated country for relatively cheap prices and send them home.
It was not immediately clear if or when the proposed shopping ban for Iran would take effect, but the memo said the State Department also was looking at drafting rules that would allow it to impose terms and conditions on memberships in wholesale clubs by all foreign diplomats in the U.S.
For Brazil, it was not clear if any potential visa restrictions affect President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva or lower-level members of the country’s delegation to the U.N. gathering.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.