Foreign officials who enable the forced return of Uyghurs and other ethnic or religious groups to China face visa restrictions in the United States, Sec. of State Marco Rubio announced Friday.

The U.S. State Department has announced sanctions on an unknown number of current and former Thai officials for their role in deporting at least 40 Uyghur men to China despite worries that they could

The State Department said it was “combating China’s efforts to pressure governments to forcibly return Uyghurs and other groups to China.”

The United States has announced a new visa restriction policy targeting foreign government officials involved in the forced return of Uyghurs and other vulnerable ethnic or religious groups to China.