State Department Revokes Visas of Five Foreign Nationals Arrested for DUI

The State Department revoked the visas of five foreign nationals arrested for driving under the influence on U.S. roads, spokesman Tommy Pigott told the Daily Signal in comments first reported by the outlet.

Pigott said the five "disregarded our laws and put our citizens at risk through their dangerous and reckless actions on the road." He added the department "will not allow foreign nationals who violate the terms of their visa, break our laws, and endanger American citizens to remain in the United States."

What Each Case Involved

According to the details provided to the Daily Signal, the cases varied in severity but each involved alcohol or drugs behind the wheel.

One foreign national was arrested for disorderly conduct, resisting arrest with violence, drunk driving, and domestic violence. A State Department official called it "outrageous and dangerous behavior that endangers American communities."

A second was arrested for aggravated DUI with a blood alcohol level nearly double the legal limit while a minor was in the vehicle. The official said "reckless behavior that puts a child's life at risk on American roads is unacceptable."

A third was arrested for DUI with a blood alcohol level more than three times the legal limit, then showed up drunk to a court-mandated DUI program. The official said there would be "no more second chances for foreign visitors who put American lives at risk."

A fourth was arrested for DUI causing injury to another person. A fifth was arrested for driving with heroin in the vehicle and a blood alcohol level more than three times the legal limit.

In each case, the visa was revoked, according to the department.

The Legal Basis

Pigott framed the revocations as part of routine enforcement, not a one-off crackdown. "The State Department will always put the safety of Americans first," he said. "That's why the State Department conducts continuous vetting of visa holders to ensure that foreign nationals don't present a danger to the American people."

Visa revocation for criminal conduct isn't new. Under the Immigration and Nationality Act, consular officers and the Secretary of State have long held authority to revoke visas when a holder is arrested for or convicted of certain crimes, including DUI, especially when aggravating factors like injury, a minor passenger, or extreme intoxication are present. What distinguishes this action is the State Department publicizing individual cases with this level of detail, a practice more common in immigration enforcement than in routine consular actions.

What's Unclear

The Daily Signal's report doesn't name the five individuals, their nationalities, the states where the arrests occurred, or the visa categories involved, whether student, work, or tourist visas. It's also not clear whether any of the five were already scheduled for removal proceedings or deportation as a separate legal matter from the visa revocation, or whether any have retained counsel to contest the State Department's action.

Visa revocation is an administrative act, not a criminal conviction. None of the five cases described appear to have reached a final disposition in criminal court at the time the department acted, based on the information provided. A revoked visa typically means the individual loses legal authorization to remain in or reenter the U.S. under that visa, which can trigger separate removal proceedings through the Department of Homeland Security, but the Daily Signal report doesn't specify what happens next for these five people or where they currently stand.

This fits a pattern under the Trump administration of using visa revocation as an enforcement tool against foreign nationals accused of crimes, distinct from the criminal justice process itself. Critics of aggressive visa enforcement have argued in other cases that revocations sometimes move faster than the underlying criminal cases are resolved, raising due-process questions about acting on arrests rather than convictions. No such objection was raised regarding these five specific cases in the available reporting, and no advocacy group or defense attorney is quoted disputing the facts as described by the department.

The State Department has not said whether more revocations tied to DUI arrests are planned, or how many similar cases it has acted on so far this year.