Former Costa Rican president and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Oscar Arias recently revealed that his US visa has been revoked, a move he believes may be connected to his critical remarks about President Donald Trump. The announcement came during a news conference in San José, where the 84-year-old diplomat shared that the revocation notification was delivered via a brief email from US authorities, which provided no explanation for the decision.
Arias has openly expressed his disdain for Trump's leadership style, likening it to that of a Roman emperor and criticizing the current US administration's posture towards smaller nations. He attributed the lack of ambiguity in the visa cancellation process to the US State Department, suggesting that it may not directly stem from Trump himself.
While Arias refrained from definitively speculating on the reasons behind the visa revocation, he acknowledged his significant diplomatic decision to establish relations with China in 2007. His administration’s move to sever ties with Taiwan in favor of China has drawn the ire of the Trump administration, which has been critical of China’s increasing influence in Central America.
Much like Arias, three Costa Rican national assembly members who have opposed President Rodrigo Chaves on similar grounds have also had their US visas revoked. The current administration has received praise from the Trump administration for its stance on excluding Chinese firms from the development of 5G in Costa Rica.
Both Arias and the assembly members’ situations highlight the complexities of US-Central American relations, particularly regarding economic dependencies and geopolitical alignments.
