MISSION, Texas - U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar says the Trump Administration would be ill-advised to impose a bond on visitors from countries that have a high number of Visa overstays.
Cuellar points out that, with the exception of the last four years, the country with the most visa overstays was Canada. During the last four years it has been Mexico.
The U.S. recently imposed a bond on tourists from Malawi and Zambia, countries with a high number of Visa overstays. The State Department said it was a pilot program.
“Starting August 20, 2025, any citizen or national traveling on a passport issued by one of these countries who is found otherwise eligible for a B1/B2 visa must post a bond in amounts of $5,000, $10,000, or $15,000, determined at time of visa interview,” the State Department said.
“The applicant must also submit a Department of Homeland Security Form I-352 agreeing to the terms of the bond, through the Department of the Treasury’s online payment platform Pay.gov. This requirement applies regardless of place of application.”
Cuellar responded: “This is something that they (the Trump Administration) are looking at as a pilot program. They're trying to address the visa overs. Sometimes you have tourists, sometimes you have students, sometimes you have people that come into work for a while and then they overstay their visas.
“Except for the last four years, the number one violator of visa overstays was Canada, not Mexico. So, they’re trying to address visa overstays by saying you will put up a bond if you come into the United States, if you're a tourist or you're a worker coming in into United States.”
Cuellar said such a program would have severe implications for the U.S.-Mexico border region.
“Now you tell me, if you have to put a bond for $10,000 or $15,000, do you think people are going to come to McAllen? Do you think they’re going to come into Mission? Or that they’re going to come into Eagle Pass? That they’re going to come into Laredo, if they have to put a bond to come shop? That's what concerns me. I hope they do not implement that.”
Cuellar added: “I've been talking about visa overstays, but this is not the way you address the visa overstays. By saying anybody coming in, you would have to put a bond. I hope this idea doesn't go very far, because that will be devastating for any border community, whether it is the Canadian or Mexican border. Imagine anybody coming in and they would have to put a bond? Somebody that comes over is going to go to a local Walmart or local Sam's. Imagine if they had to put up a bond for $10,000 or $15,000. That would certainly slow down the number of crosses tremendously.”
Cuellar spoke about the possibility of posting a bond for foreign nationals coming from countries that have a large number of Visa overstays in an exclusive interview with the Rio Grande Guardian.
Cuellar had just held a private meeting with key stakeholders - mostly from the world of agriculture - at the offices of Texas Citrus Mutual in Mission. Asked about the private meeting, Cuellar said:
“Look, when it comes to agriculture, there's no other place like the (Rio Grande) Valley, whether it's citrus or it's vegetables, sugar, whatever the situation. It’s important to listen to the Valley. When you look at the number one crossing for Ag products, it's Pharr and this is why the Valley plays a very important role. Listening to people like Dante and other folks that have been doing this… it's important. My focus has always been on trade and tourism, because that's what drives our economy. We know that this Rio Bravo, this Rio Grande, does not divide us. It actually unites us as two communities.”
In the interview, Cuellar also spoke about tariffs, the renegotiation of USMCA, and how members of the House Committee on Appropriations can influence government policy.
Here is the interview:
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