Trump administration revokes 80,000 visas since January

At least 80,000 visas have been revoked by the administration of President Donald Trump since January 2025, the state department said.

The figures are more than twice the number revoked last year, the department noted in a report on Thursday.

Among the 80,000 are 16,000 visas revoked for driving under the influence, 12,000 for assault, and 8,000 student visas.

Other reasons cited by the state department for the revocation include terrorist support, criminal activities, public safety threats, overstays, and actual terrorism. However, the nationalities of the affected visa holders were not stated.

But the extent of the revocations reflects a broad immigration crackdown initiated when Trump began his second term, declaring a national emergency at the border in his inaugural address.

“Promises made, promises kept,” the state department wrote on X, adding that Trump and Marco Rubio, secretary of state, “will always put the safety and interests of the American people first”.

In June, the US supreme court backed a Trump policy permitting the deportation of migrants to third countries—even to those facing conflict—instead of returning them to their home nations.

The move faced condemnation from rights groups, many of whom criticised Trump over the forced removal of immigrants.

In August, a state department spokesperson said visas for over 6,000 students had been revoked for overstays and breaking the law, including a small number for “support for terrorism”.

The Trump administration has broadly defined support for terrorism to include criticism of US support for Israel and the Jewish nation’s war in Gaza and support for Palestinians.

Last month, the state department said it revoked visas of foreign nationals who celebrated Charlie Kirk’s assassination.

The US has also tightened its visa requirements in recent times.

In July, the embassy asked all applicants for F, M, and J non-immigrant visas to adjust their social media privacy settings to public.

That same month, it announced a major visa policy change for Nigeria, reducing most non-immigrant and non-diplomatic visas to single entry with a three-month validity.

The embassy in Nigeria also warned that visa applicants who present fake documents will face a permanent entry ban from the US.