The U.S. State Department says it has revoked more than 250,000 visas since President Donald Trump returned to office, marking one of the largest visa enforcement efforts in recent years.
The figure was disclosed Wednesday by State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott in an interview with Fox News Digital. The department says the revocations are part of an expanded system of continuous vetting of foreign nationals who hold U.S. visas.
Revocations Cover a Wide Range of Cases
According to the State Department, visas were revoked for reasons that included violations of visa conditions, criminal activity, fraud, abuse of the immigration system and national security concerns.
Officials also said 2,300 visas were revoked in connection with “birth tourism,” referring to cases in which foreign nationals allegedly traveled to the United States primarily to give birth so their children would obtain U.S. citizenship.
In August, the department had reported more than 175,000 visa revocations, meaning the total has continued to rise significantly in recent weeks.
A Revoked Visa Is Not the Same as Losing a Green Card
The announcement concerns U.S. visas, not green cards.
A visa generally allows a foreign national to travel to a U.S. port of entry and request admission in a particular category, such as tourism, study or employment.
A green card, by contrast, reflects lawful permanent resident status. Revoking a visa does not automatically cancel someone’s green card or mean that the person has been deported.
For people who are already inside the United States, the consequences of a visa revocation can depend on their individual immigration status and circumstances.
State Department Expands Continuous Vetting
The Trump administration has increasingly emphasized what it calls continuous vetting rather than limiting security reviews to the time when a visa is first issued.
Pigott said the State Department is reviewing visa holders for criminal conduct, national security concerns and violations of immigration rules on an ongoing basis.
The department has also separately revoked visas belonging to foreign officials and their family members in cases involving allegations of corruption. Earlier this week, it revoked visas connected to 27 current and former Latin American officials and relatives.
Revocation Does Not Automatically Mean Deportation
The 250,000 figure should not be interpreted as 250,000 deportations.
Some affected visa holders may be outside the United States and could be prevented from using the visa for future travel. Others may already be in the country, where their legal situation would depend on their underlying immigration status and whether federal immigration authorities take additional action.
The State Department has not publicly released a complete list identifying all individuals whose visas were revoked.
The announcement represents the latest expansion of the Trump administration’s broader immigration enforcement and screening policies.
Sources: U.S. State Department, Fox News Digital
By NJ RADAR Team