US Politics
Trump promotes attorney and part-time salon owner to oversee visas for people coming to the US
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President Donald Trump has promoted Mora Namdar — an attorney, part-time salon owner and former Project 2025 author — in a senior role that oversees visa approvals, issuing passports, and is responsible for the welfare of U.S. citizens overseas.
Namdar, of Texas, whose parents are Iranian immigrants, was sworn in this week as the State Department’s new assistant secretary for the Bureau of Consular Affairs after working on U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East and North Africa within the agency.
The 38-year-old’s new role could see her deciding the fates of migrants applying for visas who have been critical of the Trump administration, according to testimony she gave before a Senate committee in October.
“I remain steadfast in supporting our operations at home and abroad to ensure that the privilege of a U.S. visa is granted only to those who meet the qualifications, that visa holders adhere to the terms of their visas, and that individuals who violate these terms or disregard U.S. laws will lose the privilege of holding a U.S. visa,” she said.
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She cited Secretary of State Marco Rubio in her Senate statement, signaling that she appears to share his view that criticism of Israel and pro-Palestinian advocacy constitutes a threat to the U.S., which could result in a denial or a visa being revoked.
“It is essential that our consular officers are equipped with the resources and support necessary to perform their duties effectively,” Namdar said. “As Secretary Rubio has emphasized, ‘Consular officers have the responsibility to ensure that visas are issued only to individuals who meet the criteria and do not pose a threat to U.S. interests,’” she quoted Rubio.
“If someone violates the terms of their visa or engages in activities that undermine our foreign policy, consular officers have the authority to revoke their visa,” the Rubio quote continued in her statement.
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Namdar ran her own law firm before she entered politics, alongside launching a beauty business called Bam Beauty Bar, with salons located throughout her home state of Texas, The Daily Beast first reported.
“Before rejoining government service, Ms. Namdar founded and ran a successful law practice, worked for a fortune 500 company, and created and ran several successful businesses,” the State Department’s bio of Namdar said. “Ms. Namdar is an attorney licensed in both Texas and Washington D.C. She is a native Texan who is the child of Iranian immigrants.”
Her law firm, Namdar Law, announced on Instagram that it would no longer be active following the promotion.
The political appointee was the author of a section of a 900-page Project 2025 blueprint that accused the media and academia as a “center of Leftist power.”
Namdar wrote a section in the blueprint on the independent U.S. Agency for Global Media, responsible for overseeing media networks that provide news and information in countries where press freedom is most limited, according to the Columbia Journalism Review.
She called for reform of the agency, or for it to be shut down entirely, and accused it of “espionage-related security risks,”according to the outlet.
