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Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte Bans Two U.S. Senators

Sens. Richard Durbin and Patrick Leahy are seeking to bar for Philippine citizens involved in the incarceration of government critic Leila de Lima from entering the U.S.

Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte has banned two U.S. senators from entering his country and threatened to introduce tighter restrictions to other Americans over the incarceration of government critic Leila de Lima. U.S. Sens. Richard Durbin and Patrick Leahy introduced a provision in the 2020 budget that would ban any Philippine national involved in de Lima’s incarceration from entering the U.S. Duterte’s spokesman, Salvador Panelo, said: “We will not sit idly if they continue to interfere with our processes as a sovereign state.” The Philippines generally grants visa-free entry for up to 30 days to Americans.