Every few years a beauty pageant becomes a small mirror held up to a much larger question: who is welcome to cross a border, and on whose terms. Here, young women who have trained, saved and sacrificed to stand on a international stage now wait on paperwork as travel restrictions tied to their home countries tighten around them. The reasons for the delays have not been fully explained, and the people who could explain them have stayed quiet. It is a reminder that a crown can be decided long before the stage lights come up, in offices far from the runway.
African Miss Universe Contestants Face Visa Hurdles Ahead of Puerto Rico Pageant
Contestants may miss the pageant after visa delays, and broader restrictions keep African families from attending births, weddings and funerals.
A crackdown on entry by some citizens of African countries by the U.S. immigrat…
Mark
What happened here?
Mimi
African Miss Universe Contestants Struggle to Get U.S. Visas.
Mark
Give me the shape of it.
Mimi
A crackdown on entry by some citizens of African countries by the U.S. immigration officials means that some contestants might not get visas in time to attend the pageant in Puerto Rico this month.
Mark
What should we watch for?
Mimi
Follow this story as developments unfold across multiple outlets.
O Pulso
- At least two African contestants, including Miss Zambia, may be forced to miss the Nov. 24 pageant in Puerto Rico because their U.S. visas have not arrived.
- Expanded travel bans now cover 36 countries, 29 of them African, and newly include Zambia and Zimbabwe.
- Visa rules for Congo and South Sudan have been tightened, leaving more applicants uncertain about their travel plans.
- Neither Miss Universe nor the Department of Homeland Security has answered requests for comment, leaving the cause of the delays unexplained.
- The stakes reach beyond one competition, as families across the continent face barriers to attending births, weddings and funerals.
Every few years a beauty pageant becomes a small mirror held up to a much larger question: who is welcome to cross a border, and on whose terms. Here, young women who have trained, saved and sacrificed to stand on a international stage now wait on paperwork as travel restrictions tied to their home countries tighten around them. The reasons for the delays have not been fully explained, and the people who could explain them have stayed quiet. It is a reminder that a crown can be decided long before the stage lights come up, in offices far from the runway.
Two African contestants for Miss Universe say they may not reach the pageant in Puerto Rico later this month. Their U.S. visas have not arrived, and the timing is closing in on them. Miss Zambia is among those waiting, her hopes tied to a document that has not yet come through.
The delays come amid an expanded set of Trump administration travel restrictions. Policies issued in January and December now cover 36 countries, 29 of them in Africa. Zambia and Zimbabwe were recently added, and rules for Congo and South Sudan were tightened. For the contestants, these are not abstract policy lines but the difference between walking onstage and watching from home.
The broader cost reaches well past the competition. Families affected by the restrictions may be unable to attend births, weddings and funerals, moments that rarely wait for a visa. Neither Miss Universe nor the Department of Homeland Security has responded to requests for comment, and the reasons behind the delays remain unclear. This account is still unfolding.
A story is developing around African Miss Universe Contestants Struggle to Get U.S. Visas. A crackdown on entry by some citizens of African countries by the U.S. immigration officials means that some contestants might not get visas in time to attend the pageant in Puerto Rico this month.
At least two African contestants for Miss Universe said they were in danger of missing the pageant in Puerto Rico this month because they had not secured U.S. visas amid a crackdown by the Trump administration. One contestant, Miss Zambia,…
This account is still unfolding. More context will surface as other outlets pick up the thread and add their own reporting.
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Leia o original em The New York Times ↗