EXCLUSIVE: Guatemalan Presidential Hopeful Carlos Pineda Hires U.S. Lobbyists Over His Visa Denial

Carlos Pineda, the Guatemalan businessman who leads the SERVIR political party and is seeking his country's presidency, has hired a U.S. lobbying firm to press Washington on "Mr. Pineda's visa denial," according to a federal lobbying registration reviewed by The Digital Free Press.

The registration was filed under the Lobbying Disclosure Act by Zion Strategies LLC, which lists an address in Sheridan, Wyoming. It was signed on Oct. 29, 2026, and lists an effective date of Oct. 27. The client is named as Carlos Rene Pineda Sosa of Guatemala City, described in the filing as a "Businessman, Chairman of the SERVIR political party, presidential candidate."

What the Carlos Pineda Filing Says

The filing lists three specific lobbying issues: "Mr. Pineda's visa denial," "Foreign relations between Guatemala and US" and "Upcoming election transparency in Guatemala." It describes Zion Strategies' business as "Political consulting and lobbying for foreign principals."

Three lobbyists are named: Eduardo Rivero, Shane Trejo and Juan Gomez. None is listed as having held a covered U.S. government position. Rivero signed the registration and is listed as the firm's contact, with a Mexican phone number.

The registration does not disclose what Pineda is paying. Lobbying firms report their income in quarterly reports, and the first one covering this engagement would be due in January 2027. The filing answers "No" when asked whether any other organization helps fund or supervise the lobbying, and whether any foreign entity owns, controls or is affiliated with the client.

The Firm Behind the Registration

Zion Strategies' website, which also uses the name Zion Public Affairs, says the firm operates across the United States and Latin America in campaign consulting, government affairs and media relations, and that it works to unite "like-minded politicians, parties, and movements across borders into a Pan-American coalition."

The site describes Trejo as Zion's executive director and as the editor-in-chief of the Populist Sentinel.

A case study on the website credits Trejo with a role in President Trump's pardon of former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez. The firm says Trejo forwarded a personal letter from Hernandez to Roger Stone, who passed it to Trump, and that the pardon was announced three hours later. That account is the firm's claim; The Digital Free Press has not verified it.

The relationship appears to predate the filing. In August, the Guatemalan newspaper La Hora reported that Trejo was among a group of "America First" activists who met with Pineda in Guatemala in late April. La Hora also reported that Pineda said he had recently applied again for a U.S. visa, quoting him: "There is no reason for the American embassy to keep denying me the visa."

Background on the Visa Issue

The filing does not explain the visa denial. On April 30, 2026, the Guatemalan newspaper Prensa Libre reported on a letter dated May 23, 2023, cited a day earlier by the Mexican outlet Excelsior, in which U.S. authorities told Pineda he was not eligible for a visa under U.S. immigration law. According to Prensa Libre, the letter states that the United States cannot grant a visa to a person the government has "reason to believe" has been involved in, assisted or conspired in drug trafficking.

Pineda has denied any ties to drug trafficking. In a video cited by Prensa Libre, he attributed the questions to a "narrative" pushed by rival parties and called them part of a smear campaign. Prensa Libre also reported that in 2023, Pineda attributed the visa denial to having overstayed a previous visit to the United States.

Pineda ran for president in 2023 with the Prosperidad Ciudadana party. Prensa Libre reported that he was leading polls at the time before a Constitutional Court ruling suspended his party's participation and kept his name off the ballot. Guatemala's next general election is in 2027.

In October, Pineda said SERVIR had sent the U.S. Embassy in Guatemala information on about 240 of the party's prospective candidates so U.S. agencies could vet them, Prensa Libre reported. The embassy responded that it is "not a backdrop for campaign photos, nor a database, nor a background checker," and that the 2027 elections are "a matter of Guatemalan sovereignty." Quotes from Spanish-language sources were translated by The Digital Free Press.

The Digital Free Press reached out to Zion Strategies for comment on the registration and the visa matter. This story will be updated with any response.

Sources: Lobbying registration (LD-1), Zion Strategies LLC for Carlos Rene Pineda Sosa, signed Oct. 29, 2026: https://lda.gov/filings/public/filing/52debbac-ec16-493c-bb1a-3ced76d396f7/print/ ; Zion Strategies website, team and case study pages: https://zionstrategies.us/about.html , https://zionstrategies.us/case-study.html ; Prensa Libre, April 30, 2026: https://www.prensalibre.com/guatemala/carlos-pineda-vuelve-a-referirse-a-cancelacion-de-visa-y-rechaza-vinculos-con-el-narcotrafico/ ; Prensa Libre, Oct. 6, 2026: https://www.prensalibre.com/guatemala/politica/embajada-de-ee-uu-responde-a-peticion-de-carlos-pineda-de-verificar-listado-de-integrantes-de-partido-servir-breaking/ ; La Hora, Aug. 11, 2026: https://lahora.gt/investigacion/investigacionlh/2026/08/11/carlos-pineda-y-su-ruta-hacia-2027-operadores-para-intentar-enmendar-su-relacion-con-estados-unidos/