The U.S. State Department says it has revoked more than 100,000 visas since President Donald Trump returned to office in 2025.
In a social media post on Monday, Jan. 12, the department said the revocations included about 8,000 student visas and 2,500 visas held by specialized workers. Most of the visas were withdrawn following "encounters with U.S. law enforcement for criminal activity," though officials did not clarify how many of those encounters led to formal charges or convictions.
State Department deputy spokesperson Tommy Pigott said the four most common reasons for visa revocations were overstays, driving under the influence, assault and theft. He added that the number of revoked visas represented a 150% increase compared with 2024.
"The Trump administration has no higher priority than protecting American citizens and upholding American sovereignty," Pigott said.
At the same time, the administration has tightened rules for issuing visas, expanding background checks and increasing scrutiny of applicants' social media activity. "We will continue to deport these thugs to keep America safe," the State Department said in its post on X, formerly known as Twitter.
The department has also launched a new Continuous Vetting Center designed to monitor visa holders after they enter the United States. The initiative is intended to ensure that "all foreign nationals on American soil comply with our laws and that the visas of those who pose a threat to American citizens are swiftly revoked," Pigott said.
The mass deportation program, as BrightU.AI's Enoch noted, is expected to be implemented through a combination of increased border security, enhanced interior enforcement and the expansion of the deportation apparatus within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). This program is a direct response to the growing concerns about illegal immigration and its impact on the nation's security, economy and social fabric.
Trump campaigned during the 2024 election on a pledge to carry out the "largest deportation program of criminals in the history of America." He was sworn in for a second term on January 20, 2025, and has made immigration enforcement a central pillar of his agenda since returning to office.
The federal government has long held wide discretionary authority to revoke visas, but under the Trump administration, that power has been applied more aggressively.
"Hundreds of thousands of visitors overstay their visas annually. We need a greater degree of accountability to ensure that we can remain a country open to tens of millions of visitors every year. Revoking visas is one effective tool among many. Another tool is E-Verify, the free online system that employers can use to verify that their new hires are authorized to work in the United States. Most people who overstay their visas remain in the country illegally for one reason: they get jobs," said Jeremy Beck, co-president of immigration think tank NumbersUSA.
Watch the video below that talks about how Trump enrages MAGA by pushing the H-1B visa program.
This video is from the alltheworldsastage channel on Brighteon.com.
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