Obesity, Diabetes, or Heart Disease? America Doesn’t Want You
Tired, poor, huddled masses, yearning to breathe free? Those words are “inoperative” now in the U.S. State Department. New guidance from the top suggests America doesn’t want people with obesity getting a visa enter the country.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio has issued a directive to U.S. embassy and consular officials all over the world, guiding them to reject applications for visas from people with a newly expanded list of health conditions:
“You must consider an applicant’s health. Certain medical conditions – including, but not limited to, cardiovascular diseases, respiratory diseases, cancers, diabetes, metabolic diseases, neurological diseases, and mental health conditions – can require hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of care.”
The directive gives special attention to obesity, which it says can cause asthma, sleep apnea, and high blood pressure. And all of that can require expensive long-term care says the guidance.
Protecting America from Poor Huddled Masses
There is, however, an exception written into this guidance for the wealthy:
“Does the applicant have adequate financial resources to cover the costs of such care over his entire expected lifespan without seeking public cash assistance or long-term institutionalization at government expense?”
Surprised? Do not be. This is a coin-operated administration.
Is This Really New?
We have been seeing quite a bit of attention to this news, which leads to an obvious question. Is it really new? It is certainly not surprising. The Washington Post tells us that “State Department leadership has been very active in finding new ways to deny foreigners entry into the U.S. or just slow down the system.” White House spokesperson Anna Kelly says this is entirely consistent with 100 years of policy to screen out people who would be a public burden. “President Trump’s Administration is finally fully enforcing this policy, and putting Americans first,” she said.
It has long been a matter of policy to deny visas to people with certain communicable diseases, drug and alcohol dependence, histories of violence, or mental health disorders. What is new in this guidance is a very broad expansion of health issues to consider, including quite a range of cardiometabolic risk factors. Perfect health is something that few mortals enjoy.
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Statue of Liberty, photograph by Tim Wilson, licensed under CC BY 2.0
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November 14, 2025
