Approximately 1962-1986 - GABRIEL GARCIA MARQUEZ (Columbian born Novelist & Nobel Laureate)


From 1962 to 1986, Marquez was unable to obtain a visa from the State Department. Whenever he wanted to visit the United States, he was forced to apply for a special waiver granting him permission to enter. The author of One Hundred Years of Solitude was never informed why he was ineligible for a normal visa, though theories include his support of leftist causes throughout Latin America as well as his friendship with Fidel Castro.