The United States has revoked the visas of two prominent Costa Rican political figures: Rodrigo Arias Sánchez, president of the Congress, and Paul Rueda, a magistrate on the Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court.

Arias Sánchez, a senior member of the National Liberation Party, announced Wednesday that he had received official notice from the U.S. Embassy in San José informing him that his tourist visa had been canceled.

“At 2:59 p.m., I received a notification from the U.S. Embassy via email informing me that the U.S. government had revoked my tourist visa to enter the country,” Arias said in a brief press statement. “That decision is deeply surprising to me, as I don’t know of any reason to justify it, given that I have always maintained a friendly and respectful relationship with the United States.”

Arias was re-elected in May 2025 to a fourth consecutive term as president of Costa Rica’s Congress, a role he first assumed in 2022.

Arias previously served as Minister of the Presidency during both terms of his brother, former President Óscar Arias Sánchez, who governed from 1986 to 1990 and again from 2006 to 2010. Óscar Arias was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1987.

In a related development, former President Óscar Arias confirmed that his U.S. diplomatic visa had been revoked in April 2025.

Also on Wednesday, Magistrate Paul Rueda confirmed that his U.S. visa had been canceled. His announcement came through a short official statement issued by the Constitutional Chamber.

In Costa Rica, magistrates are senior judges appointed to the nation’s highest judicial bodies, including the Cassation and Constitutional Chambers of the Supreme Court and the Supreme Electoral Tribunal. They are tasked with upholding the Constitution and dispensing justice impartially and independently.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Embassy in San José has announced it will resume processing student and visiting scholar visa applications for Costa Ricans and other foreign nationals. However, under a new requirement, applicants must make their social media profiles public as part of an expanded vetting process.

Arias and Rueda join a growing list of Latin American political figures who have recently had their U.S. visas revoked. In June, former Panamanian President Martín Erasto Torrijos Espino also disclosed that his visa had been canceled by U.S. authorities.

In February, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio visited Costa Rica to discuss regional issues, including international aid, migration, narcotics trafficking, cybercrime, and the rising influence of China.