A State Department official said more than 85,000 visas have been rescinded this year under President Donald Trump’s administration, including thousands for students, as part of a broad crackdown on criminal and security risks.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
The State Department has revoked 85,000 visas across all categories since President Donald Trump took office in January, more than doubling the total from 2024, according to a senior department official.
The official told The Epoch Times that the canceled visas included roughly 8,000 student visas, reflecting heightened scrutiny over public safety and national security risks.
“Some of the top reasons why we revoked the visas were DUIs, assaults, and theft, which together account for almost half of the revocations in the past year,” the official said. “These are people who pose a direct threat to our communities’ safety, and we do not want to have them in our country.”
While the department did not specify the remaining causes for the other half of revocations, officials said in November that approximately 80,000 visas had already been pulled, citing terrorism-related activity, overstays, and other public safety concerns.
The agency’s aggressive enforcement has drawn criticism from some Democrats and civil liberties groups, who argue that certain measures—such as expanded social media screening—raise First Amendment concerns. Earlier this month, the State Department reiterated that it will continue using online vetting tools for visa applicants and advised individuals to keep their profiles “public” during review.
“The State Department uses all available information in visa screening and vetting to identify visa applicants who are inadmissible to the United States, including those who pose a threat to U.S. national security or public safety,” the agency wrote on Dec. 3. “We conduct thorough vetting of all visa applicants, including online presence review of all student and exchange visitor applicants in the F, M, and J nonimmigrant classifications.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio has also emphasized a tougher stance on foreign nationals engaging in extremist or violent behavior. In September, Rubio announced the revocation of visas for foreigners allegedly celebrating the murder of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk, writing on X that, “[v]isa revocations are underway. If you are here on a visa and cheering on the public assassination of a political figure, prepare to be deported.”
A month later, the department confirmed that it had revoked visas from six foreign nationals accused of publicly celebrating Kirk’s assassination.
The legal boundaries of such actions have long been shaped by the Supreme Court’s 1945 ruling in Bridges v. Wixon, which held that noncitizen residents are still entitled to First Amendment protections even when facing deportation.
Rubio said last week that the administration would extend its policy by restricting visa access to Nigerians allegedly involved in violence against Christians “in Nigeria and beyond.”
The surge in visa revocations underscores the Trump administration’s ongoing effort to tighten immigration oversight and enforce public safety standards through aggressive screening and post-issuance reviews.
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