US revokes visas for prominent Costa Rican newspaper directors in apparent retaliation 

Washington, D.C., May 5, 2026—The Trump administration’s revocation of visas as a way to police speech must end, and immigration officials should offer a clear explanation as to why the directors of one of Costa Rica’s leading watchdog outlets, La Nación, were barred from traveling to the United States, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday. 

Five of seven La Nación board members had their entry tourist visas to the United States revoked in what they viewed as an attempt to punish the executives for La Nación’s editorial line and an attack on press freedom, according to a statement on the paper’s website. 

President Rodrigo Chaves has made attacking the press a core element of his political strategy, vowing in his 2022 presidential campaign to act as a “tsunami” against independent outlets, including La Nación. His administration has systematically stifled independent journalism as CPJ has documented.

This decision comes as the United States has strengthened its ties with Costa Rica, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio recently calling Costa Rica a “model” for the region. 

“The United States used to be a beacon for press freedom and a champion for targeted journalists. That is regrettably no longer the case,” said CPJ Américas Regional Director Jose Zamora. “Revoking visas from La Nación directors illustrates how the Trump administration weaponizes the U.S. visa regime to punish critical voices and censor disfavored views, including by denying the benefit of travel to the United States, often in defense of those who attack the press”

The State Department did not provide an official explanation for the cancellation, which was originally published by pro-government media in Costa Rica and did not immediately reply to CPJ’s emailed request for comment to its press relations office. 

The Trump administration has previously revoked visas for international journalists, as well as commentators and writers, in connection with their critical coverage of the administration:  

• In October 2025, British commentator Sami Hamdi was arrested at the San Francisco International Airport before boarding a Florida-bound flight on a speaking tour for the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR). The State Department and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have reported that Hamdi’s visa was revoked on October 24, after he entered the United States on a valid visitor visa on October 19. Hamdi was released after two weeks in detention. 

• In June, Australian writer and blogger Alistair Kitchen was denied entry into the United States after border officials at the Los Angeles International Airport searched his phone and questioned him about his views during a 12-hour detention.

In March, Tufts University doctoral student Rümeysa Öztürk’s visa was also revoked after previously writing an op-ed in a student paper criticizing the school’s response to the Israel-Gaza war, and she spent six weeks in ICE detention, media outlets reported. CPJ joined an amicus brief in Öztürk’s appeal, and she left the United States upon completing her studies.