US Imposes Visa Restrictions on 75 Sinaloa Cartel-Linked Individuals Under EO 14059

Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on April 20, 2026 that the United States would impose visa restrictions on 75 individuals — primarily family members and close personal or business associates of persons already sanctioned under Executive Order 14059 for connections to the Sinaloa Cartel. The individuals' names were not publicly disclosed, consistent with standard practice for visa restriction actions. The legal basis was EO 14059, which designated the Sinaloa Cartel as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) and authorized targeted sanctions against cartel networks. The restrictions render affected individuals ineligible to enter the United States, targeting the cartel's financial infrastructure and the family networks that benefit from cartel revenue. The announcement was framed as part of the Trump administration's broader counternarcotics strategy aimed at the Sinaloa Cartel as an FTO — the same framework used to justify the Jan–Feb 2025 tariff threats against Mexico. The action follows the April 14 ICE reward reiteration for Iván Archivaldo and the April 16 doubling of the bounty on El Mochomito, representing a coordinated week of elevated US enforcement pressure against the Chapitos faction.