The US State Department is set to close five foreign consulates and missions in Asia, Africa, North America, and the Caribbean. The closures, which have been notified to the US Congress, are being justified on cost grounds and are part of a reassessment of US bilateral relationships since January 2025.
The affected missions include those in St George’s, Grenada; Nagoya, Japan; Medan, Indonesia; Douala, Cameroon; and Winnipeg, Canada. This move continues a process of cutbacks in US State Department operations overseen by Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Democrats have criticised the planned closures, arguing that they risk creating a diplomatic vacuum that China could exploit. Jeanne Shaheen, the top Democrat on the Senate foreign relations committee, noted that China has a diplomatic presence in three of the five locations where the US is closing facilities.
The decision to close the Winnipeg consulate has also drawn criticism in Canada. Brad Kirbyson, a former political specialist at the consulate, suggested the closure could harm US interests by reducing contact with a significant part of Canada.