Ongoing immigration enforcement: More than 175,000 visas revoked in 20 months

By Bethany Blankley
The Center Square

The Trump administration continues to enforce federal immigration law by revoking visas of foreign nationals who commit crimes and pose a national security threat. 

In roughly 20 months, the U.S. State Department has revoked more than 175,000 visas of foreign nationals who “violated the terms of their visas, committed crimes, called for violence against U.S. citizens, defrauded Americans, abused the immigration system or endangered national security,” the State Department announced. 

Visas were revoked for those with criminal offenses, including assault, driving under the influence, theft and drugs. A significant number included reckless driving, sexual assault, child abuse, fraud and embezzlement, it said. 

Secretary of State Marco Rubio maintains that “a U.S. visa is a privilege, not a right” and the State Department will “continue to identify, investigate, and revoke the visas of foreign nationals who threaten the safety of the American people.” 

The State Department revoked visas “from criminals who posed a danger to American citizens, endorsed violence against Americans, arranged illegal birth tourism schemes, or engaged in fraud,” it says.  

Examples include foreign nationals charged with violent crimes of felony rape, sexual battery, felony kidnapping, human trafficking, sexual exploitation of a minor, sodomy of a child, aggravated sexual battery, domestic violence, possession of child sexual abuse material and a child sex offender pardoned by Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.

Visa revocation is occurring worldwide. A U.S. embassy in North Africa revoked more than 100 visas for “‘birth tourist’ parents who came to the United States primarily to give birth so their children would get U.S. citizenship,” the State Department said.

Others’ visas have been revoked after foreign nationals were charged with orchestrating a $5 million Medicaid scam and launching fraudulent companies “to swindle millions of dollars from clients.”

Rubio also determined that numerous foreign nationals “are deportable on foreign policy grounds,” including those connected to the Cuban communist regime and Iranian regime. Last May, he also began visa restrictions for students  connected to the Chinese Communist Party, The Center Square reported.

The State Department also revoked the visas of “multiple foreign nationals who celebrated the assassination of Charlie Kirk, including one who stated, ‘when fascists die, democrats don’t complain’ and another who said he ‘died too late.’” 

Last September, Rubio implemented a policy restricting and revoking visas to foreigners who celebrate the death of U.S. citizens. It has received scrutiny by First Amendment advocates who argue that protected speech includes speech celebrating political assassinations.   

The visa revocations were made after the Trump administration implemented a massive overhaul of several federal programs administered by the departments of State, Justice,  Homeland Security, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, among others. This included enforcing existing immigration law, prosecuting immigration crimes, terminating so-called temporary protective status going on for decades, terminating parole programs and implementing a series of vetting reforms, work verification and citizenship requirements, The Center Square reported. 

Prosecutors are ongoing for a range of visa fraud including forced labor, agricultural visa fraud, student visa fraud, marriage and welfare fraud, charter school and educational visa fraud, as well as birth tourism visa fraud, The Center Square reported. 

In Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott is also cracking down on H1-B visa fraud and birth tourism and alleged welfare fraud.  

Members of Congress have called for investigations into H-1B visa fraud and U visa fraud, The Center Square reported. 

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