Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday promised to reduble efforts to issue visas ahead of the World Cup, warning the backlog for so long that Colombians might already need to apply.
President Donald Trump's administration has stepped up visa scrutiny as it prioritizes immigration restrictions and deportation of immigrants.
Rubio told lawmakers that the State Department is considering relocating diplomats to visa services and launching a 24-hour visa operation ahead of next year's World Cup.
“We are looking for ways to do double change at several embassies around the world due to visa requirements,” Rubio told the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
“If you haven't applied for a visa from Colombia yet, for example, you probably won't be able to make it in time for the World Cup unless you go on a double shift,” he said.
He said embassies will use artificial intelligence in some cases, such as visa renewals.
“We hope it will succeed. It's a priority for the president,” Rubio said of tourism at sporting events.
He had answered questions from Representative Dina Titus, who had voiced vigilance over a decline in tourism to her district, including Las Vegas, since the start of the Trump administration.
Tourists to the US have been hit with harsh questions at the border entrance since Trump returned to the White House.
A major fall has come from Canadians who don't need a US visa after Trump repeatedly paraded his northern neighbors and questioned the country's sovereignty.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published by Syndicate Feed.)
