The United States has revoked over 100,000 visas since President Donald Trump assumed office on an anti-migrant platform, marking a record for a single year, the State Department said Monday.
State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said the administration’s top priority is “protecting American citizens and upholding American sovereignty.” The number of revoked visas since Trump’s second inauguration on January 20, 2025, is more than two and a half times the total recorded in 2024 under President Joe Biden.
The department said “thousands” of the revocations were linked to criminal activity, including assault and drunk driving. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has also highlighted visa revocations targeting students who protested against Israel, using a McCarthy-era law that allows the U.S. to bar entry to foreigners seen as opposing U.S. foreign policy. Some high-profile cases were successfully challenged in court.
In addition, the Trump administration has tightened visa vetting, including screening applicants’ social media activity.
The visa revocations are part of a broader push for mass deportations, carried out aggressively with increased federal enforcement. Last month, the Department of Homeland Security reported that the administration has deported over 605,000 people, while 2.5 million others reportedly left the country voluntarily.
