State Department Revokes Over 250,000 Visas Under Trump Administration
Broad crackdown targets visa violations, criminal activity, fraud, and national security threats.
The State Department has revoked more than 250,000 visas since President Donald Trump took office as part of a broad immigration vetting initiative, a State Department official told Fox News Digital. The revocations encompass a range of violations, including individuals who overstayed their visas, committed crimes, called for violence against the U.S. or Americans, defrauded U.S. citizens, abused the immigration system, or endangered national security.
Among the revoked visas were 2,300 associated with birth tourism, a practice where foreign nationals travel to the U.S. to give birth, thereby conferring U.S. citizenship on their children. State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott stated that this milestone reflects an "unwavering commitment to protecting the American people" through "continuous vetting on a scale never seen before."
"Every visa decision is a national security decision," Pigott said. "We are identifying and removing those who commit crimes, support terrorism, defraud Americans, or abuse our immigration system. A U.S. visa is a privilege, not a right — and if you violate the terms of that privilege, you will lose it."
In a separate action, the State Department recently revoked the visas of 27 Latin American officials, former officials, and their families accused of corruption in Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. This action followed a summer initiative where the administration began preparing to revoke business and tourist visas for up to 200,000 foreigners who had applied for asylum in the U.S.
Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau had previously indicated that frivolous asylum claims were overwhelming the system. The administration also paused visa appointments worldwide for heightened screening of applicants. In August, the State Department reported revoking over 175,000 visas, with law enforcement encounters for criminal activity such as assault, driving under the influence, theft, and drug crimes being leading causes.