WASHINGTON DC — On October 20, 2026 the U.S. State Department announced that more than 300,000 visas have been revoked since Trump took office in 2025. The bulk of these revocations has ramped up significantly, with revocations jumping from 175,000 to some 300,000 visas having been revoked since August of 2026.
Why is it happening?
The reason for these revocations have been cited by the U.S. government to be for targeted reasons such as fraud, security concerns, visa violations, and criminal activity. According to Public Now these crimes include, but are not limited to, the following:
- “A foreign national charged with sodomy of a child and aggravated sexual battery.
- A foreign national charged with over a dozen counts of possessing child sexual abuse material.
- A foreign national was arrested for driving with heroin and a blood alcohol level more than 3x the legal limit.
- A foreign national who was charged with felony rape and sexual battery – including of a victim who was mentally disabled.
- A foreign national charged with felony kidnapping, human trafficking, and sexual exploitation of a minor.
- A foreign national arrested for disorderly conduct, resisting arrest with violence, drunk driving, and domestic violence.
- A U.S. embassy in North Africa revoked over 100 visas for “birth tourist” parents who came to the United States primarily to give birth so their children would get U.S. citizenship.
- A foreign national who claimed to operate a legitimate business helping vulnerable patients access healthcare helped orchestrate a massive Medicaid scam – billing for over $5 million of fake services.
- A foreign national built a company on lies – faking revenue and fooling investors to swindle millions of dollars from clients. The foreign national used the false claims and forged letters to fraudulently secure a visa.
- A foreign national who came to the U.S. to teach young students and was then arrested for sexually assaulting one.”
Who is at risk of visa revocation?
With visa revocations ramping up faster in recent months, many visa holder are left to wonder if they are vulnerable to losing theirs as well.
Tommy Pigott, a State Department spokesman, announced publicly that the Trump administration has ramped up immigration operations to ensure domestic safety and its visa revocation efforts are part of a broader crackdown on immigration.
In a statement posted on X, Pigott said that there is “zero tolerance for foreigners here on visas who break the law, commit fraud, or undermine our national security.”
While the number of visas revoked certainly do not offset the number of valid and active visas, the Trump administration continues to target those who have committed an obvious crime, though criticism has been aimed at Trump and ICE for alleged interference with free speech. The critiques comes after several visas were revoked over online posts cheering on the death of Charlie Kirk. Rubio doubles down on this by announcing that visa denials have certainly been happening due to “celebrating” the death of Charlie Kirk, and posted to his X account:
“Visa revocations are under way. If you are here on a visa and cheering on the public assassination of a political figure, prepare to be deported,” Rubio said. “You are not welcome in this country.”
Amid continuous debates surrounding the lawfulness and ethics of the Trump administration’s deportation operations, Trump remains the president with the lowest official numbers of deportations than any sitting president since Bill Clinton.
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