According to the New York Times, the US government has instructed its diplomatic representatives to refuse trans athletes ‘ requests for visas to enter the country for sporting events.
The move also opens the door for longstanding visa restrictions on citizens deemed to possess “misrepresented” their sex in their programs, possible barring them from coming access.
The new rule is in response to a previous professional get titled” Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports” that US President Donald Trump signed in February. The purchase forbids trans athletes from competing in both women and women’s sports in the US and forbids federal funding from educational institutions that don’t adhere to the plan.
Trump ordered federal agencies to firmly define gender as male or female, making sure that government-issued identification reflects natural sex on his first day in office. The most recent visa restrictions point to a wider application of this rule beyond local sports.
As Los Angeles prepares to host the 2028 Olympic Games, the selection has global implications. In a February order, Trump had already instructed the US secretary of state to use” all appropriate and available measures” to pressure the International Olympic Committee ( IOC ) into determining women’s sports eligibility based on biological sex rather than gender identity or testosterone levels.
Rubio stated that Trump would make it clear to the IOC that” America absolutely rejects transgender lunacy.” He continued,” We want them to change everything about the Olympics and this ridiculous issue that we even need to discuss.”
Internal contacts reveal coverage implementation
The new guidelines were sent to all U.S. political and diplomatic posts in electronic cables, according to sources with knowledge of the situation. Consular officers are informed of how to approach visa applications in accordance with the new restrictions in these guidelines.
The policy could impact athletes hoping to compete in major US-based women’s sports leagues, including the National Women’s Soccer League ( NWSL ) and the Women’s National Basketball Association ( WNBA ). It may also change international games, such as the FIFA Women’s World Cup, with the US and Mexico selling to host the 2031 model.
In accordance with Trump’s executive order from February, the secretaries of state and country security were instructed to review and update plans to stop trans athletes from entering the country for events. The immigration and nationality act’s Section 212( a )( 6 ) ( C ) ( i), which prohibits individuals from obtaining a visa through fraud or “willfully misrepresenting a material fact,” was specifically addressed in the order. This area allows for permanent isolation from the US as well as for visa rejection.
Following the executive order, Carl Charles, a senior attorney with Lambda Legal, said,” This is yet another motion from the Trump Administration that makes it abundantly clear transgender people are firmly in their bullseye.”
Rubio issued a law in a second political cable, which was reported by The Guardian. You should consider whether a person’s falsification of their goal of travel or gender is significant enough to support an ineligibility finding in cases where applicants are suspected of making a false claim. Such a conclusion might lead to a permanent restrictions on visas.
Trump also addressed the 2028 Olympics in February by saying,” I’m even directing our Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem… to dispute any and all card applications made by men attempting to enter the United States fraudulently while identifying themselves as women players.”
