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Politics · North America

Trump administration revokes more than 300,000 visas

The Trump administration has revoked more than 300,000 visas since President Trump took office, citing criminal activity, public-safety threats and immigration violations. The State Department said it will continue the actions; the recipients’ nationalities were not immediately clear.

AI-assisted synthesis · Based on 4 independent reports from 5 outlets · Article text read from 1 of 4 reportsHow it's made

View timeline · 7 entries
5 outlets4 regionsLatest reporting 3 min read
Coverage: MixedL 0 · C 2 · R 2 · 1 unrated
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Photo: Daniel Torok / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)

What happened

Key facts

  • The Trump administration has revoked more than 300,000 visas since Trump took office.
  • The State Department said at least 4,000 visas were revoked from foreign nationals who engaged in or facilitated birth tourism.
  • State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said the administration had revoked visas faster than any previous administration.
  • The State Department said it would continue taking action.

The brief

The Trump administration has revoked more than 300,000 visas since President Trump took office, the New York Post reported, citing a State Department official and department spokesman. The official attributed the revocations to criminal activity, threats to public safety or immigration violations.

The State Department said the administration would keep taking action to secure the country’s borders and the nation. The official said at least 4,000 of the revoked visas belonged to foreign nationals who engaged in or facilitated birth tourism. The New York Post also reported that the State Department confirmed as many as 250,000 revocations had occurred since January 2025.

The article does not specify the nationalities of visa recipients. State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott described the pace as faster than any previous administration’s. That comparison is his assessment, as quoted by the New York Post. The article reports that the Bureau of Consular Affairs vetted 23,000 cases last year and says the pace of revocations accelerated in 2026.

The New York Post reported that, among visas revoked in 2025, one quarter related to assaults or similar crimes. Driving under the influence accounted for 22%, while theft accounted for 7% and substance abuse or distribution for another 7%.

Those categories describe the reasons given for revocations; the report does not provide a breakdown for the more than 300,000 total or say how the categories were calculated. The department’s stated rationale also included immigration violations such as fraud or misrepresentation, according to the official quoted by the New York Post.

The article does not give a separate count for that category, or for the public-safety and criminal-activity grounds beyond the 2025 figures it lists. The State Department’s position is that the revocations will continue as part of its effort to secure U.S. borders and the country.

Its official did not specify in the quoted remarks how future revocations would be counted or when the department might provide another total.

Why it matters

  • The revocations can abruptly disrupt travel, study, work, and family plans for affected visa holders, who may have to leave the United States or lose permission to return; people accused of birth-tourism violations may also face heightened scrutiny in future applications. The scale and faster pace of cancellations signal tougher enforcement, increasing uncertainty for prospective travelers and adding screening and casework demands for consular and immigration officials.

What to watch next

  • Whether the State Department continues revocations, as it said it would.
  • Whether the State Department provides another total after confirming as many as 250,000 revocations since January 2025.
  • Whether the State Department releases further figures separating revocations by stated reason.

How it's being covered

Coverage analysisShow details
5 source articles · 5 unique outlets · 4 distinct reports
Outlet political mix: Mixed· 2 Center · 2 Right · 1 unrated
Where the outlets are based: US/Canada 20% · Europe 20% · Other 60%
Outlet political mix
Mixed
Left
Center
Right
0 outlets
2 outlets
2 outlets
The marker shows coverage balance: each unique outlet counts once. 1 unrated outlet is not included.
Geography
Where the outlets covering this story are based.
5 unique outletsDominant coverage: US/Canada
How we measure coverage

How outlets' accounts compare

Updat3 does not yet have enough full reports to compare how outlets framed this story.

Timeline

Developments from this story's sources, dated background we compiled and fact-checked, and our earlier coverage. Each row says which.
  1. The authority to issue and revoke U.S. visas is rooted primarily in the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), enacted in 1952 and amended many times since.
    Background · from our historical context
  2. Federal screening and information-sharing systems expanded considerably after the September 11, 2001, attacks.
    Background · from our historical context
  3. President Donald Trump signed an executive order restricting entry to the United States by nationals of several countries.
    Background · compiled and fact-checked by Updat3
  4. Its actions included revised entry restrictions affecting nationals of several countries, which were litigated and ultimately addressed by the Supreme Court in 2018.
    Background · from our historical context
  5. Donald Trump won the presidency, and Republicans gained control of the Senate.
    Background · compiled and fact-checked by Updat3
  6. Since returning to office in January 2025, President Trump’s administration has again directed agencies to strengthen screening and vetting of foreign nationals.
    Background · from our historical context
  7. Donald Trump was inaugurated for a second, non-consecutive term as U.S. president.
    Background · compiled and fact-checked by Updat3

How we got here

The authority to issue and revoke U.S. visas is rooted primarily in the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), enacted in 1952 and amended many times since. Under Section 221(i), the secretary of state may revoke a visa at any time, subject to limited procedures for review.

Federal screening and information-sharing systems expanded considerably after the September 11, 2001, attacks. The State Department also developed specialized programs, including the Visa Security Program, in which Homeland Security Investigations personnel work with consular staff at selected posts to identify potential security risks.

Original sources

5 articles from 5 outlets

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