State Department Says It Has Revoked More Than 300,000 Visas Since January 2025

The State Department said Tuesday, Oct. 20, that the Trump administration has revoked more than 300,000 U.S. visas since the president returned to office in January 2025.

The pace is picking up. The department put the total at more than 100,000 in January, more than 175,000 on Aug. 10, and more than 250,000 in late September. Reuters reported the new figure shows an acceleration in the pace of revocations in recent weeks.

What the administration says

State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott announced the figure on X. "With over 300,000 revocations, the Trump administration has revoked more visas at a faster pace than any administration in history," he said.

"We have zero tolerance for foreigners here on visas who break the law, commit fraud, or undermine our national security," Pigott said.

Mora Namdar, assistant secretary of state for consular affairs, also posted about the milestone. "300,000+ visa revocations and counting," she wrote. "Our message to visa holders is simple: respect our laws or lose the privilege of traveling to the United States."

The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, which is GOP-controlled, called it "a great victory for our national security."

The breakdown the department has given

A State Department official told Al Jazeera that the "vast majority" of revocations stemmed from criminal activity, public-safety concerns, immigration violations, fraud or misrepresentation, or other information showing the person was no longer eligible.

The official gave these shares of the total:

• 25% for assault and related crimes
• 22% for driving under the influence
• 7% for theft
• 7% for substance abuse or distribution

That adds up to 61%. The department has not said what accounts for the other 39%.

More than 4,000 revocations involved people the department says engaged in or facilitated birth tourism. A State Department spokesperson told NTD that the largest part of that crackdown has targeted "schemes involving Chinese nationals seeking to exploit America's immigration system to obtain US citizenship for their children." Trump signed two executive orders on birth tourism in August, which include visa restrictions and revocations in certain cases.

The department has not released a breakdown by nationality or visa category. Which groups have been hit hardest is not public.

What a revocation does

A revocation generally stops the holder from using the visa to travel to the United States. Federal regulations let authorized State Department officials revoke visas, including provisionally while eligibility is reviewed. Department guidance says officials should notify the holder when practicable.

A revocation is not a deportation. For people already in the United States, the consequences for their immigration status must be assessed separately, and those in the country may retain their existing status unless separate action is taken.

The objections

Immigrant-rights groups and civil liberties advocates have criticized parts of the campaign. They point to revocations of foreign pro-Palestinian protesters and of foreigners over social media comments about the assassination of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk. Rights advocates say the expanded social media vetting threatens free speech and amounts to surveillance of immigrants.

Those groups also say the broader crackdown has violated due process and created an unsafe environment for ethnic minorities, who have raised concerns about racial profiling. The administration says the policy is aimed at lawbreakers, fraud and security threats, and Trump has said the crackdown is meant to improve domestic security.

The two sides are talking past each other, partly because the data is thin. The administration's figures show that a large share of the revocations it has itemized involve violent or dangerous conduct. Critics' examples involve speech and protest.

Expanded vetting

The administration has also expanded social media vetting for applicants and current visa holders. State announced a reporting portal for suspected visa fraud and misuse on Sept. 23.

The department has said it will continue to take action to keep the country's borders and nation secure. Namdar's "and counting" suggests the next update will carry a bigger number. The open question is whether State will publish the nationality and visa-category data that would let the public check its account.