As the Washington Post writes, the order to consider chronic diseases as a reason for refusing visas to enter the US arrived at consulates and embassies through an invitation from US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Rubio issued new guidance under the “public burden” rule, which denies entry to individuals deemed to be heavy beneficiaries of welfare programs.
The State Department suggests that consulates consider obesity as a reason for visa denial, as it can cause sleep apnea, high blood pressure and clinical depression.
Dispatch
“You must consider the applicant’s health,” the State Department cable said.
It goes on to say that certain medical conditions — including, but not limited to, cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease, cancer, diabetes, metabolic disease, neurological disease and mental health conditions — can require care worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.
The cable was drafted by the agency’s political leadership and did not go through normal review channels — which typically include input from career staff, according to a senior State Department official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.
The White House
The spokesperson of the White House, Anna Kelly, says that it is a policy of denying visas to persons who would represent a financial burden on taxpayers, according to the Washington Post.
The State Department recommends that other factors be considered, such as retirement age or the number and health status of dependents.
About 16 percent of adults worldwide qualified as obese in 2022, according to the World Health Organization, and 14 percent had diabetes in 2022.
(Vijesti.ba)
