By Ginika Igboke
The U.S. Department of State announced on Jan. 12 that it has revoked the visas of more than 100,000 foreign nationals during the first 51 weeks of President Donald Trump’s second term.
In a post on X, the department said approximately 8,000 of the revoked visas were student visas, primarily in the F-1 and J-1 categories. Another 2,500 were “specialized visas” issued to individuals who had encounters with U.S. law enforcement related to criminal activity.
Visa revocations have become a frequent enforcement tool under the Trump administration, which has made stricter immigration enforcement a priority. The administration has also suspended visa issuance for nationals of several countries as part of its broader immigration policy.
“There are people who have visas and are in the United States doing things counter to our national interest,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said at a press conference on Dec. 28, 2025. “The law gives us the right—and I would argue the obligation—to remove people like that from our country, and we’re going to continue to do it.”
Rubio added that the government’s authority to revoke visas is clear. “If you have the power to deny someone a visa before they get one, you most certainly have the power to revoke it once they get one and then do something they shouldn’t be doing,” he said.
The policy has drawn controversy, particularly in cases involving foreign nationals connected to U.S. universities who criticized Israel or expressed support for Hamas during the ongoing conflict in Gaza. Several international students whose F-1 visas were revoked and who were later arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement have sparked protests and criticism from advocacy groups.
Under federal law, the secretary of state has the authority to revoke a visa “at any time, in his discretion,” without providing a reason. In addition, visa denials issued abroad are generally not subject to judicial review in U.S. federal courts under the doctrine of consular non-reviewability.
Visa revocations typically occur after a foreign national is arrested or commits an offense while in the United States. The State Department’s Foreign Affairs Manual allows revocation for arrests or convictions such as driving under the influence or driving while intoxicated within the previous five years.
These actions apply only to non-immigrant visas, which are issued for temporary stays, and do not affect lawful permanent residents, or green card holders, who are not issued visas and have greater legal protections against removal.
While a visa revocation does not automatically strip a foreign national of lawful status, it prevents reentry under the same visa and can make the individual deportable under the Immigration and Nationality Act. Any removal, however, requires formal proceedings and a hearing in immigration court.
In a statement, State Department Principal Deputy Spokesperson Tommy Pigott said the department has revoked visas from thousands of foreign nationals charged with or convicted of crimes such as assault, theft, and driving under the influence, describing the effort as a 150 percent increase in visa revocations since 2024.
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