Drug Cartels and U.S. Sanctions

Senator Marco Rubio imposed visa bans on 75 relatives and associates of the Sinaloa Cartel. He framed the action as a new crackdown meant to stop cartel-linked individuals from entering the United States. Rubio described the targeted people as "narco-terrorist" family members in his public statement. The step uses visa restrictions rather than criminal charges to limit the cartel's transnational reach.