The State Department has revoked more than 250,000 visas since President Donald Trump took office, as the administration intensifies its crackdown on unlawful immigration and expands scrutiny of people seeking to enter the United States.
A State Department official told News Media that the cancellations involved a range of violations. They included breaking visa terms, committing crimes, encouraging violence against the United States or Americans, defrauding U.S. citizens, abusing the immigration system and posing national security risks.
The total includes 2,300 visas revoked over birth tourism, in which pregnant foreign nationals travel to the United States specifically to give birth so their children automatically receive U.S. citizenship.
The Trump administration has moved aggressively to cancel visas held by foreign nationals accused of various offenses or violations of the terms of their stay in the United States, the State Department said. (Harry Hamburg/NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images; Aaron Schwartz / AFP via Getty Images)
“Under President Trump and Secretary Rubio, the State Department has now revoked more than 250,000 visas — a historic milestone that reflects our unwavering commitment to protecting the American people,” State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said.
“Every visa decision is a national security decision. Through continuous vetting on a scale never seen before, we are identifying and removing those who commit crimes, support terrorism, defraud Americans, or abuse our immigration system,” Pigott said. “A U.S. visa is a privilege, not a right — and if you violate the terms of that privilege, you will lose it. We will not stop until every foreign national who threatens the safety of our communities is held accountable.”
On Monday, the State Department canceled the visas of 27 current and former Latin American officials and their family members over corruption allegations. The officials are from Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru.
During the summer, the Trump administration also began preparing to revoke the business and tourist visas of as many as 200,000 foreigners who had applied for asylum in the United States.
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During the summer, the Trump administration began preparing to cancel the business and tourist visas of as many as 200,000 people. (iStock)
The proposed action would affect B1 and B2 visas issued from 2016 through 2026 to foreign nationals who later sought asylum. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau said at the time that Americans were “fed up” with “bogus asylum claims.”
“Asylum isn’t supposed to be a loophole to circumvent immigration laws; rather, it’s supposed to provide a narrow safe harbor for persons persecuted because of their ‘race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion,’” Landau wrote on X.
Under Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the State Department has canceled thousands of visas over overstays and violations of U.S. law, including support for terrorism. (Reuters)
Landau said frivolous applications had overwhelmed the asylum system, potentially leaving it to take years to determine whether applicants qualify for protection in the United States.
The State Department also revoked more than 175,000 visas in August. Most of those cancellations followed law enforcement encounters involving criminal activity, with assault, driving under the influence, theft and drug offenses cited as the leading causes.
The agency said other significant categories included reckless driving, sexual assault, child abuse, fraud, embezzlement and additional crimes.
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