EMILIANO RODRÍGUEZ MEGA, EMMA BUBOLA, GABRIEL LABRADOR, DAVID BOLAÑOS2026年8月17日由鲁比奥领导的国务院已恢复了中美洲一些曾受美国政府制裁的政治人物的签证，同时也撤销了另外一些人的签证。 Kenny Holston/The New York TimesWhen Chilean officials signed an authorization for a 12,000-mile undersea cable connecting the country to Hong Kong, they were thrilled. They said the Chinese project would boost national connectivity and even reach Chile’s remote Easter Island.当智利官员正式批准连接该国与香港长达1.9万公里的海底光缆项目时，他们曾非常兴奋。他们表示，这个中国项目将提升全国的通信互联水平，甚至能通达智利偏远的复活节岛。But the mood shifted abruptly later that day in January after a senior official from the U.S. Embassy in Santiago met with Guillermo Petersen, the chief of cabinet at Chile’s telecommunications ministry. According to Mr. Petersen, the American official warned that the project could increase the risk of Chinese cyberattacks and that, if Chile forged ahead, the United States would issue a travel ban not only for the officials involved, but for their spouses and children as well.那是1月的一天。但到了当天晚些时候，气氛突然发生了变化。在此之前，美国驻圣地亚哥大使馆的一名高级官员会见了智利电信部办公室主任吉列尔莫·彼得森。据彼得森称，这名美国官员警告说，该项目可能会增加中国发动网络攻击的风险，并称如果智利一意孤行，美国不仅将对涉事官员实施旅行禁令，他们的配偶和子女也会受到影响。Across Latin America, the Trump administration has deployed aggressive tactics to tighten its grip on the region. They include crippling tariffs and economic sanctions, strikes on dozens of boats in the Caribbean and Pacific, wading into foreign elections and the capture of the president of a nation in his own capital.特朗普政府一直在采取强硬手段加强对整个拉丁美洲的控制。这些手段包括足以造成严重冲击的关税和经济制裁、在加勒比海和太平洋上对数十艘船只发动袭击、干预他国选举，以及在一国首都直接抓捕该国总统。But one of its most agile and surgical tools is also deeply personal: the U.S. visa.但其中最灵活、最精准，同时也极具个人针对性的手段是美国签证。The meeting in Chile lasted just six minutes, Mr. Petersen said. But that was enough to persuade his government to put the project on hold.彼得森表示，发生在智利的那次会面仅持续了六分钟，但已足以说服智利政府暂停该项目。“It was basically a threat,” Claudio Araya, then Chile’s telecommunications under secretary, said this month.“这基本上就是一种威胁，”时任智利电信部副部长的克劳迪奥·阿拉亚本月表示。克劳迪奥·阿拉亚担任智利电信部副部长时，美国官员曾因一个中国海底光缆项目而威胁撤销他的美国签证。The U.S. ambassador to Chile, Brandon Judd, said in a statement that these actions “were not a surprise,” as they followed years of discussions on the matter.美国驻智利大使布兰登·贾德在一份声明中表示，这些行动“并不令人意外”，因为双方此前已经就这一问题进行了多年的讨论。Visa sanctions, Mr. Judd said, “are not meant to punish, but to change behavior.” He added, “They did exactly that in this case.”贾德称，签证制裁“不是为了惩罚，而是为了改变行为”。他还说：“在这起事件中，它们确实达到了这个目的。”Typically used in the past to keep out security threats, fight corruption or defend democratic institutions, travel permissions have been weaponized under the current State Department, experts say. The U.S. government has revoked visas to target foreign leaders, ambassadors and other officials, judges and journalists, among others — while quietly reinstating visas for some like-minded allies.专家表示，过去签证通常被用来阻止安全威胁、打击腐败或维护民主制度，但在现任美国国务院手中，签证已经被“武器化”。美国政府撤销签证的对象包括外国领导人、大使及其他官员、法官和记者等；与此同时，对于一些志同道合的盟友，美国政府又悄悄恢复了他们的签证。A Regional Stick区域威慑工具The Trump administration has been clear about its intentions to use this tool in the Americas.特朗普政府已经明确表示，计划在美洲地区使用这一工具。In a statement in April, the State Department announced that it had expanded its policy on restricting visas to target those in the Western Hemisphere who “carry out activities that are adversarial to and undermine America’s interests.”在今年4月的一份声明中，国务院宣布扩大签证限制政策，目标是西半球那些“从事敌视和损害美国利益活动”的人。Washington has used its visa playbook to pursue varying goals. In some countries, the United States has aimed to replace China’s footprint with its own. In others, it has rewarded compliant, right-wing partners, even by punishing their political enemies. Elsewhere, it has pressured governments into folding to U.S. demands or penalized those who question its policies.华盛顿利用签证手段追求各种目标。在一些国家，美国试图用自己的影响力取代中国的存在。在另一些国家，它则奖赏顺从的右翼伙伴，甚至通过惩罚其政治对手来示好。在其他地方，美国则向政府施压，迫使其接受自己的要求，或者惩罚那些对美国政策提出质疑的人。This month, the Trump administration rescinded the visa of Maria Luiza Ribeiro Viotti, the Brazilian ambassador in Washington, in a tit-for-tat retaliation over Brazil’s delaying the approval of President Trump’s ambassador nominee and refusing entry to several other U.S. diplomats. The U.S. government had previously stripped a Brazilian Supreme Court justice of his visa for prosecuting former President Jair Bolsonaro, a Trump ally.本月，特朗普政府撤销了巴西驻华盛顿大使玛丽亚·路易莎·里贝罗·维奥蒂的签证，作为对巴西拖延批准特朗普总统提名的大使人选并拒绝多名美国外交官入境的针锋相对的报复。此前，美国政府还曾撤销一名巴西最高法院大法官的美国签证，因为这名法官起诉了特朗普的盟友、巴西前总统雅伊尔·博尔索纳罗。本月，美国因外交争端撤销了巴西驻华盛顿大使玛丽亚·路易莎·里贝罗·维奥蒂的签证。 Wolfgang Kumm/DPA, via Getty ImagesRevoking a visa, while sometimes performative, can also send a powerful message, said John Feeley, a career diplomat who served as U.S. ambassador to Panama from 2015 to 2018. It can undermine a person’s political authority and sever personal or professional ties to the United States.曾在2015年至2018年担任美国驻巴拿马大使的职业外交官约翰·费利表示，撤销签证虽有时带有表演性质，但也能传递强有力的信号。它可以削弱一个人的政治权威，并切断其与美国的个人或职业联系。“A congressman or a prosecutor without a U.S. visa,” Mr. Feeley said, “is somebody who is flying with a broken wing.”费利说，“一个没有美国签证的国会议员或检察官就像一只折翼的飞鸟。”Some of Washington’s allies say the Trump administration is well within its rights when restricting visas.华盛顿的一些盟友则认为，特朗普政府限制签证完全属于其合法权限范围。“That falls under the strict sovereignty of the United States,” Manuel Tovar, the foreign minister of Costa Rica, where at least 15 opposition figures and critics have had their U.S. visas revoked, said in an interview. “We shouldn’t interfere in matters outside our jurisdiction, just as we expect no nation to determine Costa Rica’s immigration policy or decide who is granted entry into our country.”哥斯达黎加外交部长曼努埃尔·托瓦尔在接受采访时说：“这完全属于美国的主权范围。”在哥斯达黎加，至少有15名反对派人士和批评者被撤销了美国签证。“我们不应该干涉我们管辖范围之外的事务，就像我们也希望其他国家不要决定哥斯达黎加的移民政策，或者决定谁可以进入我们的国家。”Because visa records are confidential, the U.S. government rarely discusses the details of specific revocations, making it difficult to quantify how much the Trump administration has used this tool for political ends.由于签证记录属于机密信息，美国政府很少公开讨论具体撤签的细节，因此很难量化特朗普政府究竟在多大程度上利用这一工具来实现政治目的。But Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other U.S. officials have “broad discretionary authority” to cancel visas “whenever and wherever a compelling U.S. policy interest is at stake,” the State Department said in an email.但美国国务院透过电子邮件表示，国务卿鲁比奥和其他美国官员拥有“广泛的自由裁量权”，只要“涉及重大的美国政策利益”，他们就可以“在任何时间、任何地点”取消签证。The China Factor中国因素For the Chilean officials involved in the undersea cable project, acquiescing to America’s demands did not immediately seem to be enough. About a month after the U.S. diplomat’s initial warning, the State Department announced it was barring those officials and their family members from the United States. Their actions, the department said, had “compromised critical telecommunications infrastructure and undermined regional security.”对于参与海底电缆项目的智利官员来说，屈从于美国的要求似乎并没有立即让事情平息下来。美国外交官最初发出警告约一个月后，美国国务院宣布禁止这些官员及其家属进入美国。国务院称，他们的行为“危及关键电信基础设施，并损害地区安全”。For Juan Muñoz, then Chile’s telecommunications minister, the announcement was a “huge reputational hit.”对于时任智利电信部长胡安·穆尼奥斯而言，这对他构成了“巨大的声誉打击”。His visa was eventually reinstated, he said, but the fallout lingered.他说，他的签证后来恢复了，但这场风波留下的影响仍然存在。“My Wikipedia now says I am a person sanctioned by the United States,” Mr. Muñoz, an academic who studied in California, where three of his children were born, said. “You feel like you have been placed in the same list as the world’s worst troublemakers.”“我的维基百科页面现在写着我是受美国制裁的人，”穆尼奥斯说。他是一名学者，曾在加州求学，他的三个孩子也出生在那里。“你感觉就像被列入了世界头号麻烦制造者的名单。”失去美国签证对智利前电信部长胡安·穆尼奥斯来说是对其声誉的打击。Chile is not an isolated case. Washington has targeted people elsewhere when it suspects they have facilitated Chinese investments.智利并非孤例。华盛顿在怀疑有人帮助中国进行投资时，也在其他地方对相关人员采取过类似行动。This month, an Argentine electric company said it received warnings about visa revocations for executives linked to expanded operations there by Huawei, the Chinese telecom-equipment maker. Peter Lamelas, the U.S. ambassador to Argentina, responded on X, saying that the issue was “a matter of national security.”本月，一家阿根廷电力公司表示，他们接到警告，称与中国电信设备制造商华为在阿根廷扩大业务有关的公司高管可能面临签证撤销的处罚。美国驻阿根廷大使彼得·拉梅拉斯在X平台上回应称，这个问题“事关国家安全”。And last year, after two opposition lawmakers in Costa Rica criticized a presidential decree banning Chinese 5G vendors like Huawei, the State Department revoked their U.S. visas.去年，在哥斯达黎加两名反对派议员批评一项禁止华为等中国5G供应商的总统令后，国务院撤销了他们的美国签证。“They are sending a message to political actors that speaking out in support of positions favoring China will bring consequences,” said Johana Obando, one of the Costa Rican lawmakers whose personal and diplomatic visas were canceled.其中一名签证遭撤销的哥斯达黎加议员约哈娜·奥班多说：“他们是在向政治人物传递一个信息：如果你公开支持亲华立场，就会付出代价。”“It is a way of intimidating decision makers to benefit the United States,” she said.她说：“这是通过恐吓决策者来为美国谋取利益的一种方式。”The State Department, in its April announcement on the expanded visa restriction policy, said it would “use every available tool to protect our national security interests, defend American interests, and promote our region’s safety.”国务院在4月份关于扩大签证限制政策的声明中表示，将“使用一切可用工具保护我们的国家安全利益、捍卫美国利益并促进本地区的安全”。Reaping Rewards收获政治回报In shifting its visa policy, the United States has abandoned its post-Cold War crusade for regional rule of law, trading it for a more transactional approach, some analysts contend.一些分析人士认为，在调整签证政策的过程中，美国已放弃了冷战后在地区推行法治的努力，转而采取一种更加注重利益交换的做法。“Corruption, human rights violations or judicial interference no longer matter,” said Ana María Méndez Dardón, the Central America director at the Washington Office on Latin America, a rights group.“腐败、人权侵犯或者司法干预现在都已经不重要了，”人权组织“华盛顿拉丁美洲办公室”的中美洲事务主任安娜·玛丽亚·门德斯·达尔东说。As Washington stops prioritizing democratic values, political figures once facing U.S. sanctions are seeing their privileges restored, Ms. Méndez said, after their countries renew friendships with the White House.门德斯说，随着华盛顿不再把民主价值置于优先位置，那些曾经面临美国制裁的政治人物在其国家与白宫重修旧好后，也开始恢复过去享有的特权。During the Biden administration, the United States penalized a number of Central American officials it considered corrupt or anti-democratic under a law known as the Engel List. Even after it lapsed, the administration used a variety of legal tools to continue denying them visas, according to a former State Department official with direct knowledge of the process who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal operations.在拜登政府时期，美国根据一项被称为“恩格尔名单”的法律制裁了多名其认为腐败或反民主的中美洲官员。据一位直接了解相关程序的前国务院官员称，即使该法律失效后，拜登政府仍利用各种法律手段继续拒绝向这些人发放签证。因为谈及内部运作，这位官员要求匿名。When Mr. Trump took office, the official said, that effort was entirely discontinued.这名官员说，特朗普上任后，这一努力就完全终止了。At least three senior Salvadoran officials placed on the Engel List and close to President Nayib Bukele — who has eagerly aligned with Mr. Trump — quickly benefited.至少三名曾被列入“恩格尔名单”、同时与热切地向特朗普靠拢的与萨尔瓦多总统纳伊布·布克尔关系密切的高级官员很快因此受益。萨尔瓦多总统纳伊布·布克尔（摄于去年夏天）一直是特朗普总统的盟友。布克尔手下至少有三名高级官员曾被拜登政府禁止入境，如今他们的美国签证均已被恢复。They included Javier Argueta, then Mr. Bukele’s legal adviser, who faced sanctions for orchestrating the unconstitutional removal of judicial officials; Christian Guevara, head of Mr. Bukele’s legislative faction, penalized for introducing a law that criminalized media coverage of gangs; and José Ernesto Sanabria, Mr. Bukele’s press secretary, cited for pressuring opposition officials to resign under threat of criminal charges.其中包括时任布克尔法律顾问的哈维尔·阿尔盖塔。他曾因策划违宪罢免司法官员而受到制裁；还有布克尔所在政党议会党团负责人克里斯蒂安·格瓦拉，他因提出一项将媒体报道帮派活动定罪的法律而受到制裁；以及布克尔的新闻秘书何塞·埃内斯托·萨纳布里亚，他曾被指控以刑事指控相威胁，迫使反对派官员辞职。Mr. Argueta and Mr. Guevara set foot in the United States for the first time in several years — in July and September 2025, respectively — according to travel records that The New York Times reviewed. They have since entered the country multiple times. Mr. Sanabria traveled to Miami more recently, in June.根据《纽约时报》查阅的出入境记录，在多年未踏足美国后，阿尔盖塔和格瓦拉分别于2025年7月和9月入境美国。此后，他们又多次进入美国。最近的是萨纳布里亚，他在今年6月前往迈阿密。Mr. Argueta told The Times that his visa had indeed been restored but declined an interview request. Mr. Sanabria did not respond to a request for comment. Nor did Mr. Guevara, but he has posted photos on social media talking to U.S. lawmakers or posing at the White House.阿尔盖塔告诉《纽约时报》，他的签证确实已恢复，但拒绝了采访请求。萨纳布里亚未回应置评请求。格瓦拉也未回应，但他已在社交媒体上发布了与美国议员交谈的照片，以及在白宫的留影。The State Department did not answer specific questions about the reinstatement of visas for former Engel List designees, or whether preventing them from entering the United States remains a priority.美国国务院没有回答有关恢复前“恩格尔名单”人员签证的具体问题，也未回应阻止他们入境美国是否仍是优先事项。A Stark Break一个明显的转变Visa revocations have also been used to suppress criticism of the Trump administration, or even of U.S.-aligned foreign leaders.撤销签证也被用于压制对特朗普政府的批评，甚至是对与美国关系密切的外国领导人的批评。In Panama, for example, after two politicians criticized a sweeping security pact between their country and the United States, they were notified that their U.S. visas had been revoked. While the United States has a long history of covert interventions and heavy-handed meddling in Latin America, former diplomats say the Trump administration’s methods represent a stark break.例如在巴拿马，两名政治人士批评该国与美国签署的一项范围广泛的安全协议后，收到通知称他们的美国签证已被撤销。虽然美国长期以来就有在拉丁美洲进行秘密干预和强力干涉的历史，但前外交官表示，特朗普政府如今采取的做法是一个明显的转变。2004年至2009年担任巴拿马领导人的马丁·托里霍斯是遭美国吊销签证的政界人士之一。“No recent American administration ever did this kind of open attack on freedom of expression” in a foreign country, Mr. Feeley, the former U.S. ambassador to Panama, argued.曾任美国驻巴拿马大使的费利认为：“近年来没有任何一届美国政府在外国进行过这种对言论自由的公开攻击。”It is also unlikely to end soon, experts said.专家表示，这种做法也不太可能很快结束。On Thursday, Andrés Manuel López Beltrán — the son of Mexico’s left-wing former leader Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who remains highly influential over the governing party — said that Washington had revoked his visa. The move followed corruption accusations against Mr. López Beltrán, which he has denied. In an open letter to Mr. Trump, he criticized the measure as a politically motivated attack on his father’s political movement.周四，墨西哥前左翼领导人安德烈斯·曼努埃尔·洛佩斯·奥夫拉多尔的儿子安德烈斯·曼努埃尔·洛佩斯·贝尔特兰表示，华盛顿已经撤销了他的美国签证。洛佩斯·奥夫拉多尔虽然已经卸任，但仍然对执政党具有很大影响力。此次撤签发生在有关洛佩斯·贝尔特兰涉嫌腐败的指控之后，而他否认这些指控。在一封致特朗普的公开信中，他批评这一措施是出于政治动机，是针对其父亲政治运动的攻击。Jody García自危地马拉城、John Bartlett自智利圣地亚哥对本文有报道贡献。Emiliano Rodríguez Mega为《纽约时报》报道墨西哥中美洲和加勒比地区新闻。Emma Bubola是《纽约时报》记者，报道阿根廷新闻。她常驻布宜诺斯艾利斯。翻译：杜然点击查看本文英文版。