The Trump administration has cancelled more than 175,000 visas from foreign nationals since the president’s second term.
This marks a major escalation in the administration’s immigration enforcement efforts.
The State Department said that the revocations were mainly focused on foreigners who “violated the terms of their visas, committed crimes, called for violence against U.S. citizens, defrauded Americans, abused our immigration system, or endangered national security.”
The primary reason for visa cancellation was attributed to “law enforcement encounters” with assault, driving under the influence, theft, and drug crimes. A major share were revoked for reckless driving, sexual assault, child abuse, fraud, and embezzlement.
In an official statement, the department said: “The State Department will continue to identify, investigate, and revoke the visas of foreign nationals who threaten the safety of the American people. A U.S. visa is a privilege, not a right.”
Some of the examples of specific cases include the case involving a foreign national accused of committing felony rape and sexual battery on a mentally challenged victim, a person accused of kidnapping and human trafficking, and a person with several counts of possessing child sexual abuse material.
The other example includes a case where the department denied visas to various foreigners who “cheered for the murder” of a conservative activist known as Charlie Kirk, one of whom even stated that Charlie “died too late.”
Finally, an American embassy in North Africa revoked over 100 visas of “birth tourists” who travelled to America just to give birth to American citizens.
Earlier, in January, the department had revoked more than 100,000 visas.
