On September 21, the US State Department issued a statement slapping visa restrictions on 32 individuals tied to cyber fraud and related organized crime under the Immigration and Nationality Act. Any valid US visas they held were canceled immediately. Though Washington hasn't publicly released the list of names or nationalities, officials revealed that most of those targeted are linked to the transnational crime syndicate known as the Prince Group.
This didn't come out of nowhere. The US Treasury previously took aim at the Prince Group in two separate rounds, sanctioning 146 and 35 individuals and entities in October 2025 and June 2026. Officials warned that as long as these groups keep targeting Americans with online scams, the crackdown won't stop.
On the streets, morning markets still buzz with the usual mix of motorbike exhaust and the rich aroma of iced coffee, but the news spread quickly through local coffee shops and worker rentals. People chatting off the record noted that those who got rich off gray-market operations used to hope a US visa would let them buy property abroad and go clean. That route is officially shut down. For the ordinary folks watching these high-level waves crash, all you can do is shake your head, finish your tea, and head back to the worksite for another shift.
