Washington, Dec 31 (PTI) President Donald Trump has extended visa sanctions on countries refusing to repatriate their citizens who violated laws in the United States.

The visa sanctions on such countries were set to expire on December 31.

Trump had issued a memorandum in this regard on April 10 which empowered the secretary of state and the homeland security secretary to deny visas to countries refusing to accept their citizens who violated American laws.

"In light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the continuing public health risk it poses to Americans,” Trump said in a memorandum issued on Wednesday that his April 10 “memorandum shall continue in force until terminated by the president”.

According to the April 10 memorandum, the secretary of state is authorised to "initiate a plan to impose the visa sanctions" if the Homeland Security Department determines a country not accepting returnees is delaying or impeding operations "necessary to respond to the ongoing pandemic”.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)