US has revoked more than 300,000 visas since Trump returned to office

The State Department says it has revoked more than 300,000 visas since January 2025, including at least 4,000 linked to birth tourism and about 6,000 held by students, as the administration widens social media screening of visa applicants.

The US State Department said on Tuesday that it has revoked more than 300,000 visas since President Donald Trump returned to office in January 2025, a pace the administration says is faster than that of any previous US government. The figure has risen quickly: more than 175,000 revocations were reported in August, and the 250,000 mark was disclosed in late September.

The department cited criminal offenses, violations of visa conditions, immigration fraud and threats to public safety or national security as grounds. At least 4,000 cases are linked to birth tourism, and about 6,000 involve foreign students who committed crimes or had ties to terrorism. Since its launch in August, a Birth Tourism Prevention Task Force has revoked more than 700 visas held by Chinese nationals. The department has not released a full breakdown by nationality or visa category.

"Respect our laws"

The State Department's Harry S. Truman Building in Washington

"Respect our laws or lose the privilege of traveling to the United States," said Mora Namdar, assistant secretary of state for consular affairs. State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said the US has "zero tolerance for foreigners here on visas who break the law, commit fraud, or undermine our national security."

Wider social media screening

Since Oct. 1, online presence reviews have been extended to more nonimmigrant categories, including I visas for foreign media representatives and TN and TD visas for certain professionals and their dependents under the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement. Applicants in these categories must set their social media profiles to public. Such screening already applied to international students, temporary workers, exchange visitors and certain religious workers.

Some revocations have drawn criticism, including cases involving foreign nationals who took part in pro-Palestinian demonstrations and people whose social media comments about the assassination of Charlie Kirk came under scrutiny. Rights advocates question whether national security is being used to target critics and warn of possible racial profiling.

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