On Monday, the World Bank cautioned its Colombian employees against traveling to or from the United States following incidents involving three staff members affected by actions implemented by U.S. President Donald Trump, according to sources.
The bank's security team provided guidance after two staff members had their G4 visas revoked and were deported upon arrival in Washington, the sources disclosed. G4 visas enable non-U.S. citizens to work for international diplomatic institutions within the United States.
A third bank employee was barred from boarding a flight to the United States, as reported first by the New York Times, the sources confirmed.
The visa issues at the World Bank arose on Sunday amidst a tense stand-off between the Colombian government and the Trump administration regarding deportation flights.
After resolving their differences late on Sunday, the two parties averted potential tariffs and sanctions threatened by Trump in response to Colombia's initial reluctance to accept military flights carrying deportees.
A World Bank spokesperson stated that the multilateral development bank, which houses thousands of international employees at its Washington headquarters, remains in communication with the U.S. government to address the situation.
"The World Bank Group leadership team is actively engaging with U.S. Government counterparts to resolve this matter," the spokesperson emphasized.
World Bank employees were surprised by the unexpected events involving Colombia and are preparing for possible disruptions in the upcoming weeks as the Trump administration plans to impose tariffs on other countries like Mexico and Canada, potentially starting on February 1, according to one of the sources.