The US government has revoked the visa of former Costa Rican President Óscar Arias, a Nobel Peace Prize winner, as of April 1, 2025, amid escalating tensions with China over 5G technology, media reports said.
Mr. Arias received an email on Tuesday morning informing him of his visa cancellation, citing Section 221(i) of the Immigration and Nationality Act. This section grants the secretary of state and consular officials the right to revoke visas, New York Times reported.
This move follows a series of visa cancellations for individuals who have been vocal critics of Trump’s policies.
“I don’t know why they have revoked my visa. I don’t know if the revoking of my visa is some sort of punishment, because I say what I think,” Mr. Arias said at a news conference.
In February, Mr. Arias criticized Trump’s policies on Facebook, saying he behaved like “a Roman emperor, telling the rest of the world what to do.”
Mr. Arias won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1987 for mediating a plan to end the civil wars in Central America.
Arias also promoted a free trade agreement with the U.S. during his last term and in 2007 established diplomatic ties with China.
