Trump administration revokes over 3,00,000 visas in second term
Photo: REUTERS
US State Department said on Tuesday President Donald Trump’s administration has revoked over 3,00,000 US visas during his second term as the federal government presses forward with a sweeping immigration crackdown.
Recent weeks have seen a dramatic acceleration in the pace of visa cancellations. An earlier 10 August update from the State Department had placed the total number of visa revocations at over 1,75,000 since the start of Trump’s current term in January 2025.
Trump asserts that his immigration crackdown and deportation drive aim to improve domestic security. On the other hand, rights advocates charge that the enforcement measures violate due process and free speech rights, while generating an unsafe environment - particularly for ethnic minorities who express growing concerns over racial profiling.
Announcing the latest figures on X, State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott declared that the Trump administration “has revoked more visas at a faster pace than any administration in history.” Pigott emphasized that the government maintains “zero tolerance for foreigners here on visas who break the law, commit fraud, or undermine our national security.”
Rights advocates single out specific visa revocations for intense condemnation, including those targeting pro-Palestinian foreign protesters demonstrating against US ally Israel’s attacks on Gaza, as well as foreign nationals facing action over their social media comments regarding the assassination of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk.
Alongside efforts to deport foreign protesters, the Trump administration enforces tightened social media screening for both immigrants and visa applicants.
Rights advocates contend that federal authorities deploy national security justifications to target critics, while utilizing isolated fraud cases to broadly target entire immigrant communities, such as the Somali American community in Minnesota.
Moreover, although Trump campaigned in 2024 on stopping illegal immigration, his administration simultaneously creates steep hurdles for legal immigration by imposing expensive fees on certain work visas.
Source: Reuters (adapted)
