The United States has revoked more than 100,000 visas since President Donald Trump returned to office on an anti-immigration platform, marking a record number of cancellations in a single year, the State Department said on Monday.
State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said the move reflects the administration’s top priority of national security and sovereignty.
“The Trump administration has no higher priority than protecting American citizens and upholding American sovereignty,” Pigott said.
According to the department, the number of visas revoked since Trump’s second inauguration on January 20, 2025, is more than two-and-a-half times the total recorded in 2024 under former President Joe Biden.
Officials said “thousands” of the revoked visas were linked to criminal offenses, including assault and drunk driving.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio has also drawn attention to visa cancellations involving foreign students who participated in protests against Israel. Rubio relied on a Cold War-era law that allows the US to deny entry to individuals deemed to be acting against American foreign policy interests, though several high-profile cases have been successfully challenged in court.
The State Department disclosed that about 8,000 of the revoked visas belonged to students.
In addition to cancellations, the Trump administration has tightened visa screening procedures, including expanded monitoring of applicants’ social media activity.
The visa revocations form part of a broader immigration crackdown that has included aggressive deportation efforts supported by an increased deployment of federal agents.
Last month, the Department of Homeland Security said more than 605,000 people had been deported since Trump took office, while an additional 2.5 million individuals departed the country voluntarily.
AFP
