By Lucretia Hughes
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration is reviewing the records of more than 55 million people holding valid U.S. visas worldwide as part of an expanded effort to identify criminal activity, visa overstays, national security threats and other violations that could result in visa revocation and, for some people currently in the United States, deportation.
The State Department has described the process as “continuous vetting,” meaning receiving a visa does not end the government’s examination of whether a foreign national remains eligible to hold it.
The department told The Associated Press that all U.S. visa holders are subject to the continuing review. If information establishing ineligibility is discovered, a visa can be revoked. A visa holder who is inside the United States could then become subject to removal proceedings, depending on the circumstances.
The government said indicators being examined include overstaying an authorized period of admission, criminal activity, threats to public safety, terrorist activity and providing support to terrorist organizations.
“We review all available information as part of our vetting, including law enforcement or immigration records or any other information that comes to light after visa issuance indicating a potential ineligibility,” the State Department told AP.
The 55 million figure, however, requires context.
It does not mean 55 million visa holders are currently living in the United States or that 55 million people have been targeted for deportation.
The figure represents valid visa holders around the world, including people holding multiple-entry tourist visas who may currently be outside the United States and may not return before their visas expire.
Department of Homeland Security data cited by AP showed approximately 3.6 million people were residing in the United States on temporary visas in 2024. Another 12.8 million people were lawful permanent residents, commonly known as green-card holders.
That distinction became important after the original announcement generated claims on social media suggesting the 55 million people were all living inside the United States.
They are not.
What is significant is the scale of the vetting program.
The administration’s approach expands scrutiny beyond people applying for visas at U.S. consulates. Existing visa holders can continue to be reviewed after their visas have been issued.
The State Department has continued expanding its screening procedures in 2026.
In March, the department announced an expansion of online-presence reviews covering additional categories of nonimmigrant visa applicants. Those applicants were instructed to make their social-media profiles public or open to facilitate the review.
The department expanded that policy again in September, announcing that beginning Oct. 1, online-presence reviews would also cover additional visa categories involving foreign media representatives and certain professionals and dependents entering under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement.
“Every visa adjudication is fundamentally a national security decision,” the State Department said in announcing the latest expansion.
The department says visa applicants must establish their eligibility and demonstrate an intention to comply with the conditions under which they are admitted to the United States.
Federal law already provides numerous grounds under which a foreign national can be considered ineligible for a visa.
According to the State Department, those grounds can include certain criminal convictions, drug violations, fraud or material misrepresentation in obtaining a visa, and previous unlawful presence in the United States. Different statutory provisions and procedures apply depending on the individual circumstances.
The policy represents another component of President Donald Trump’s broader immigration agenda, which has emphasized immigration enforcement, border security and increased scrutiny of foreign nationals seeking to enter or remain in the country.
But visa revocation and deportation are not interchangeable terms.
A visa generally allows a foreign national to seek admission into the United States. Revoking that visa can prevent future entry, while removing someone already inside the country involves immigration law and procedures that vary according to the person’s status and circumstances.
The significance of the administration’s policy is therefore not that 55 million people are about to be deported.
It is that approximately 55 million valid visa holders around the world remain within the government’s continuing vetting system even after their visas have been approved.
For foreign nationals who follow the terms of their visas and remain legally eligible, the existence of the review does not itself mean their visas will be revoked.
For those whose records reveal disqualifying conduct, however, receiving a visa is no guarantee that they will keep it.
The message from Washington is increasingly clear: approval is not necessarily the end of the vetting process.
Under the Trump administration’s expanded system, the review can continue long after the visa is issued.
Original article
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