International
oi-Swastika Sruti
According to a report by the US State Department, the Trump administration has canceled more than 300,000 US visas since the president came back into office. This is a huge step up in the immigration enforcement strategy by the US government where some of the reasons cited by officials include criminal activity, fraud, safety concerns, and breach of immigration laws.
The Trump administration has reportedly revoked over 300,000 US visas, citing criminal activity, fraud, and safety concerns, a move described as a significant increase in immigration enforcement compared to previous administrations.
According to Tommy Pigott, the spokesperson for the State Department, the administration has canceled more visas than any previous US administration in recent history. He said the government will continue to take such steps in an effort to protect its borders and national security.
This comes in light of the recent toughening of laws regarding the issue of legal and illegal immigration by the Trump administration. These steps target both foreign nationals seeking entry into the US and those who might have their eligibility to get visas called into question due to their actions.
US Visa Revocations Cross 300,000
The latest figure represents a significant increase from the numbers disclosed earlier by the State Department. Departmental records showed that more than 175,000 visas had been revoked by August 10, while an earlier announcement said that over 100,000 cancellations had taken place in January.
The department has not released a complete breakdown of the more than 300,000 revocations by nationality or visa category. As a result, it remains unclear how many Indian citizens, international students, skilled workers or tourists have been affected.
Pigott said the administration had adopted a zero-tolerance approach towards visa holders involved in unlawful activities, fraudulent conduct or behaviour that raises national security concerns.
Why Is The Trump Administration Revoking Visas?
According to the State Department spokesperson cited by Al Jazeera, most cancellations were linked to criminal behaviour, risks to public safety, immigration violations, fraud, false statements or new information showing that a person no longer qualified for a visa.
The figures shared by the department included the following categories:
- Assault and related offences: Accounted for 25% of the reported revocations.
- Driving under the influence (DUI): Made up 22% of cases.
- Theft: Represented 7% of revocations.
- Substance abuse or distribution: Accounted for another 7%.
- Birth tourism: More than 4,000 visas were revoked in cases linked to people identified by the department as participating in or supporting the practice.
Birth tourism generally refers to travel to another country with the intention of giving birth there, often to secure citizenship for the child under that country’s laws.
The department has not published a detailed explanation of every case or clarified how the listed categories relate to the overall total. The figures should therefore be understood as the department’s reported breakdown rather than a complete statistical account of all visa cancellations.
