The Trump administration has revoked more than 300,000 visas issued to foreign nationals, claiming the action has been carried out at a faster rate than under any previous US administration.
“We are taking, and will continue to take, action to keep our borders, and our nation, secure,” said the US Department of State on Tuesday, reports Al Jazeera.
A State Department official told Al Jazeera that most of the revocations were linked to criminal activity, public safety concerns, immigration violations, fraud or misrepresentation, or other information suggesting that the visa holders were no longer eligible to retain their visas.
More than 4,000 visas were revoked from foreign nationals who engaged in or facilitated birth tourism, the official said.
According to the official, most of the cancellations were associated with criminal activity or other public safety concerns. Assault and related offences accounted for 25 per cent of the revocations, while driving under the influence accounted for 22 per cent. Theft and substance abuse or distribution each accounted for 7 per cent, the official added.
Earlier on Tuesday, State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said in a post on social media that the administration had targeted foreign nationals staying in the United States on visas who had violated the law, committed fraud or posed threats to national security.
“We have zero tolerance for foreigners here on visas who break the law, commit fraud or undermine our national security,” Pigott wrote on X.
The number of visa revocations had already surpassed 175,000 by August, according to the report. In January, the State Department announced that it had revoked more than 100,000 visas, describing the figure as a record at the time.
The administration has also pursued a stricter visa policy, tightening the scrutiny of applicants’ social media activity and expanding screening procedures.
However, rights advocates and experts have criticised the administration’s social media screening measures, arguing that they threaten freedom of expression and amount to surveillance and the targeting of immigrants.
