Trump administration revokes record 85,000 visas in sweeping immigration crackdown targeting safety threats

The State Department has revoked a record-breaking 85,000 visas as the Trump administration ramps up scrutiny on visitors to the United States.

Of the revoked visas, more than 8,000 were students — more than double the number in 2024, a State Department official told Fox News.

Some of the reasons for the revoked visas include DUIs, assaults, and theft, which together account for almost half of the revocations in the past year.

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The State Department has revoked more than 85,000 visas over safety concerns, an agency official said. That figure includes more than 8,000 students.  (iStock)

“These are people who pose a direct threat to our communities’ safety, and we do not want to have them in our country,” the official said. 

The Trump administration has heightened scrutiny of certain visa applicants in recent weeks.

It reportedly ordered U.S. consular officers to apply heightened scrutiny to H-1B visa applicants and reject anyone found to have participated in “censorship or attempted censorship” of protected speech in the United States.

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Trump admin says foreign student visa vetting will be continued process not a one-time check. (iStock)

In addition, the administration announced last week that it will be pausing immigration from 19 countries that were already under partial or full travel restrictions.

Last week, the State Department announced a new visa-restriction policy in response to a wave of brutal anti-Christian attacks in Nigeria, targeting those accused of orchestrating religious violence against Christians in the West African nation and around the world.

Marco Rubio with passports in view; the State Department has introduced updated vetting procedures for visa applicants.  (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images / istock)

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The agency has also revoked visas and imposed travel restrictions on six Mexican executives who worked at an air travel company, along with their immediate family members.

U.S. officials said the group collaborated with smuggling networks to coordinate transportation and provide fraudulent travel documents for migrants — including minors — from the Caribbean and other regions, routing them through Central America before many attempted to reach the United States.