Thursday, October 1, 2026

US revokes over 250,000 visas under Trump amid immigration crackdown

US revokes over 250,000 visas under Trump amid immigration crackdown

The United States government has revoked more than 250,000 visas since President Donald Trump returned to office, as his administration intensifies immigration enforcement and expands vetting of foreign nationals.

A State Department official quoted by Fox News Digital said the revocations involved various violations, including breaches of visa conditions, criminal activity, calls for violence against the United States or Americans, fraud and alleged abuse of the immigration system.

The official also said some visa holders were considered to have posed risks to national security.

More than 2,300 visas linked to birth tourism have specifically been revoked, according to the State Department.

State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott described the development as a significant milestone under Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

“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,” Pigott said.

He added that the US government was conducting continuous vetting to identify foreign nationals who commit crimes, support terrorism, defraud Americans or violate immigration rules.

“A U.S. visa is a privilege, not a right and if you violate the terms of that privilege, you will lose it,” Pigott said.

The latest figures come after the State Department revoked the visas of 27 Latin American officials, former officials and their family members over allegations of corruption. The affected individuals were from Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru.

The Trump administration also began preparing during the summer to revoke business and tourist visas held by as many as 200,000 foreigners who had subsequently applied for asylum in the United States.

The proposed action targets B1 and B2 visas issued between 2016 and 2026 to foreign nationals who later sought asylum.

At the time, Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau argued that asylum applications should not be used to circumvent US immigration laws, saying the system had been overwhelmed by what he described as frivolous claims.

In August, the State Department had also announced the revocation of more than 175,000 visas.

According to the agency, many of those revocations followed encounters with law enforcement over alleged criminal activity, with assault, driving under the influence, theft and drug-related offences among the leading reasons.

Other visa revocations were linked to allegations involving reckless driving, sexual assault, child abuse, fraud and embezzlement, the State Department said.

The latest action forms part of the Trump administration’s broader immigration enforcement policy, which has placed greater emphasis on visa compliance, background checks and the removal of foreign nationals deemed to have violated US immigration or criminal laws.

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