And there are bad men who are selling visas for too much, $4,000, which takes many years to pay off with interest.

He's selling visas.

That alarmed many governments in this region that have made millions of dollars selling visas or passports to Chinese from Hong Kong and the mainland.

Panama dismissed its intelligence chief in June after the United States made allegations that she was selling visas to Chinese seeking a back-door entrance to the United States.

Ms. Smith, a lawyer who started with the intelligence service as an analyst, said she still does not know the full extent of whatever scheme there was to sell visas.

There have been a handful of cases of FSOs on Consular Assignments selling visas for a price.

It sells visas to tourists at the port of entry for the same $45.

Paraguayan police officers are regularly caught selling visas and passports.

Richard B. Freeman of Harvard floated the idea that the U.S. simply sell visas at a reasonable price.

"We sell visas in all the major airports," she said.