US revokes more than 100,000 visas since Trump’s return to office

The US State Department says visa revocations person much than doubled arsenic President Trump continues his migration crackdown.

The State Department successful the United States says it has revoked much than 100,000 visas since President Donald Trump returned to bureau past year, arsenic his medication continues with a hardline crackdown connected immigration.

The visa purge includes 8,000 students and 2,500 specialised workers, according to a societal media station from the State Department connected Monday.

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It added that the bulk saw their visas withdrawn owed to “encounters with US instrumentality enforcement for transgression activity”, though it was not wide whether those encounters resulted successful charges.

The measurement of the revocations reflects the wide quality of the crackdown Trump initiated erstwhile helium returned to the White House past year. The medication has claimed to person overseen much than 2.5 cardinal voluntary departures and deportations, a “record-breaking achievement”, it said past month.

Some of those deportations, however, person included immigrants who held valid visas, raising questions astir owed process and quality rights.

The medication has besides adopted a stricter argumentation for granting visas, with tightened societal media vetting and expanded screening.

“We volition proceed to deport these thugs to support America safe,” the State Department said successful its station connected X.

The 4 starring causes for visa revocations were overstays, driving nether the influence, battle and theft, State Department lawman spokesperson Tommy Pigott said. The revocations marked a 150 percent summation from 2024, helium added.

The State Department has besides launched a Continuous Vetting Center, aimed astatine ensuring “all overseas nationals connected American ungraded comply with our laws – and that the visas of those who airs a menace to American citizens are swiftly revoked”, Pigott said.

That centre is portion of an wide propulsion to restrict who is allowed into the country. The State Department has ordered US diplomats successful wide to beryllium vigilant against visa applicants whom Washington whitethorn spot arsenic hostile to the US oregon who person a past of governmental activism.

In November, the State Department said it had revoked astir 80,000 non-immigrant visas since Trump’s inauguration, for offences ranging from driving nether the power to battle and theft.

Trump had campaigned for re-election successful 2024 connected a pledge to oversee the “largest deportation programme of criminals successful the past of America”. He was sworn successful for a 2nd word connected January 20, 2025.

But critics person argued that Trump’s wide-sweeping attack has targeted criminals and non-criminals alike. The Trump medication has besides faced scrutiny for appearing to people visa-holders who clasp views it disagrees with.

In March, for instance, the Trump medication began a run of stripping pupil protesters progressive successful pro-Palestinian activism of their visas. One student, Rumeysa Ozturk of Tufts University, appears to person been targeted for penning an editorial successful her field newspaper.

In October, the State Department besides announced it had removed visas from six overseas nationals who “celebrated” the assassination of blimpish activistic Charlie Kirk online.

“The United States has nary work to big foreigners who privation decease connected Americans,” the State Department wrote successful a societal media statement.

Those instances, however, person raised interest astir the authorities violating the First Amendment close to escaped speech.

There has besides been wide choler successful the US astir the usage of unit successful the Trump administration’s migration crackdown.

Renee Nicole Good, a 37-year-old parent of three, was precocious changeable dormant successful her car successful Minneapolis, Minnesota, during a play of heightened migration enforcement successful the state, sparking protests crossed the country.