U.S. Revokes Over 175,000 Visas, State Department Says
The State Department said Monday it has revoked more than 175,000 visas held by foreign nationals during the Trump administration, citing alleged criminal activity, visa violations, fraud, national-security concerns and statements supporting violence against Americans.
The department said most of the revocations followed encounters with law enforcement, with assault, drunken driving, theft and drug-related offenses among the most common alleged violations. It also cited cases involving reckless driving, sexual assault, child abuse, fraud and embezzlement.
In a fact sheet released Aug. 10, the State Department said the actions resulted from its ongoing “continuous vetting” process, which reviews whether visa holders remain eligible to enter or stay in the United States.
The release highlighted individual cases involving people charged with rape, kidnapping, human trafficking, sexual exploitation of a minor, child sexual abuse offenses and other crimes. The department also said a U.S. Embassy in North Africa revoked more than 100 visas from people it described as “birth tourists” who traveled to the United States primarily to give birth so their children could obtain U.S. citizenship.
The State Department did not provide a country-by-country breakdown of the revoked visas, identify the visa categories involved or say how many of the affected people had been removed from the country.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio also determined that several foreign nationals were deportable on foreign-policy grounds, according to the department. The release cited cases involving alleged connections to the Cuban and Iranian governments, as well as a Kuwaiti national accused of expressing support for violence against the U.S. president.
“A U.S. visa is a privilege, not a right,” the department said, adding that it would continue to identify, investigate and revoke visas held by people it considers threats to public safety or national security.