(UNITED STATES) The Trump administration has revoked about 80,000 non-immigrant visas since January 20, 2025, more than doubling last year’s total, according to senior State Department officials who described an aggressive push to cancel visas on criminal and security grounds and, in some cases, political speech. The figures underscore a sweeping expansion of visa cancellations under President Trump’s second term, with officials saying they have prioritized public safety and national security in decisions that affect students, workers, and visitors across multiple countries.
“The Trump administration will not hesitate to revoke visas from foreigners who undermine our laws or threaten our national security. Our message is clear: Entry to America is a privilege, not a right, and we will always put the safety and interests of the American people first,” Tommy Pigott, principal deputy spokesman for the State Department, said.
A senior State Department official said the bulk of this year’s removals center on three offenses. “These three crimes accounted for almost half of revocations this year,” the official said, citing driving under the influence, assault, and theft.
Officials said 16,000 visa cancellations were tied to driving under the influence, 12,000 to assault, and 8,000 to theft, nearly half of all non-immigrant visas revoked this year. The department said its revocation process is designed to respond quickly whenever new derogatory information surfaces after a visa has been issued, and that consular officers have been instructed to take action when potential ineligibilities arise. The process includes pulling visas for “any indication of a potential ineligibility, which includes things like indicators of an overstay, criminal activity, a threat to public safety, engaging in any form of terrorist activity, or providing support to a terrorist organization,” according to the department’s description of current practice.
Student visas have drawn particular scrutiny, with about 8,000 student visas revoked in 2025, a 33% increase from last year. State Department officials said more than 6,000 student visa cancellations were tied to overstays or violations of U.S. law, and a small number were revoked for “support for terrorism.” The department has made student compliance a priority, reflecting a broader push to ensure that non-immigrant visa holders adhere strictly to the terms of their admission. Officials said they have leaned on tighter coordination with law enforcement databases and university reporting to flag problems earlier in a student’s stay.
The administration has also widened the lens of what it considers a security risk, extending visa cancellations to cases tied to social media posts and public speech. In October, at least six people had their visas revoked over comments posted online about the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Posts that triggered cancellations included users saying he “deserves to burn in hell” and “died by his own rules,” according to State Department summaries. The department identified people from Argentina, Brazil, Germany, Mexico, Paraguay, and South Africa among those affected, signaling a willingness to act across nationalities when online comments cross what the government views as red lines.
The policy has intersected with the Gaza war, as officials said the administration has targeted foreign students and green card holders for expressing support for Palestinians or criticizing Israel’s actions. The department has labeled some of that speech as a threat to U.S. foreign policy and has accused individuals of being pro-Hamas, an approach that rights advocates say risks punishing political viewpoints rather than unlawful conduct. State Department officials did not provide a breakdown of how many revocations stemmed from political speech but said the department’s focus was on safeguarding U.S. interests.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio has been a visible driver of the crackdown. He said in May that he had revoked the visas of “hundreds, perhaps thousands,” including students, for involvement in activities the administration considers contrary to U.S. foreign policy priorities. Rubio’s remarks, coupled with internal directives to ramp up screening, reflect a fast-moving policy environment in which consular officers are advised to act decisively when red flags emerge.
Inside the department, the approach has included stricter visa screening protocols, expanded social media vetting, and tighter background checks, all aimed at catching concerns earlier in the application and post-issuance cycle. State Department directives have instructed U.S. diplomats to be vigilant against applicants perceived as hostile or politically active, especially on contentious foreign policy issues. While advocates argue such standards risk conflating political dissent with security threats, department officials say the guardrails focus on violence, incitement, or support for designated terrorist organizations. For official guidance on visa categories and ineligibilities, the department directs the public to its U.S. Department of State visa information page.
The emphasis on public safety and national security has unfolded alongside a broader enforcement posture that officials say includes closer coordination with the Department of Homeland Security and immigration courts. The administration’s drive has resulted in the deportation of a record number of migrants, including some who held valid visas at the time of removal. In those cases, officials said immigration violations or post-entry criminal activity triggered both enforcement action and the revocation of underlying visas. While deportation and visa cancellation are separate processes, the two often converge when authorities decide someone’s presence in the United States is no longer permissible.
Officials stressed that revocation decisions can apply across non-immigrant visa categories, from students and tourists to temporary workers and family visitors. The department’s standard is whether new information points toward ineligibility or risk that would have made the person inadmissible had it been known at the time the visa was issued. That framework allows the State Department to cancel visas rapidly and, where appropriate, refer cases to DHS for removal proceedings if the person is already in the country. The rising totals, officials said, reflect both the stepped-up reviews and the administration’s priority to move quickly when problems are identified.
Critics of the crackdown have focused on the role of speech-related cases, warning that drawing lines around political expression will be prone to subjective decisions and could chill lawful advocacy by foreign students and workers. The State Department, pointing to a subset of revocations over online statements, argues that it is acting within the law to protect public safety and foreign policy interests. The department has not released a comprehensive accounting of speech-linked cancellations beyond the social media cases tied to the Kirk assassination, where officials provided examples of language they deemed unacceptable, including “deserves to burn in hell” and “died by his own rules.” Administration officials said the actions are part of a broader message that entry to the United States is conditioned on adherence to American laws and norms.
“The United States has no obligation to host foreigners who wish death on Americans. Aliens who take advantage of America’s hospitality while celebrating the assassination of our citizens will be removed,” an administration statement said.
While the administration did not identify all the individuals involved, it confirmed that the social media cases included nationals from Argentina, Brazil, Germany, Mexico, Paraguay, and South Africa, and that the decisions were consistent with the department’s authority to revoke visas when post-issuance information emerges.
For students, the year’s surge in visa cancellations marks a sharp break from earlier trends. U.S. officials said about 8,000 student visas have been revoked so far in 2025, a jump of roughly a third compared with last year. More than 6,000 of those revocations stemmed from overstays or criminal violations, officials said, and in a limited set of cases, the grounds included “support for terrorism.” The department did not specify the exact number of terrorism-related student cases but said it remains a small fraction of the whole. Universities have not been named publicly in connection with the revocations, and the department has not disclosed the countries most affected by student cancellations.
Officials emphasized that the non-immigrant visas targeted this year span a broad spectrum and that revocations are not reserved for high-profile or violent offenses. The 16,000 cases linked to driving under the influence illustrate how common, non-violent crimes can trigger immigration consequences when they raise public safety concerns. Assault cases, which officials tallied at 12,000, include a range of criminal conduct that consular officers review using police reports and court records when available. The 8,000 theft-linked cancellations round out the group of top offenses that the State Department said collectively comprised nearly half of this year’s total.
The department’s reinforcement of vetting—particularly social media screening—has been building for months. Officials said consular posts have been instructed to review online activity more closely, while background checks have been tightened to catch evidence of extremist sympathies or coordination with hostile groups. The State Department’s internal guidance also urges consular officers to be alert to applicants with a history of political activism that conflicts with U.S. foreign policy priorities, a standard that civil liberties advocates say is both vague and potentially expansive. The department insists the goal is focused: to spot indicators of incitement, security risks, and unlawful support for terrorism.
Administration officials said the fast pace of visa cancellations is likely to continue as new data-sharing arrangements mature and as consular posts apply the updated guidance. They noted that revocation is a tool designed to act on new information that surfaces after issuance, and that many cancellations occur before a traveler boards a flight. In other cases, cancellations take effect at ports of entry, or after individuals are already inside the country, triggering referrals to DHS for enforcement. While some visa holders can reapply, officials said, reissuance is not guaranteed and depends on whether the underlying concerns have been resolved.
The hard line has put the State Department at the center of a broader immigration enforcement agenda that stretches beyond border operations and asylum policy into the realm of everyday travel and study. By canceling visas at an unprecedented scale—and by citing crimes, overstays, and, in a subset of cases, political speech—the department has sent a clear signal about the conditions it expects non-immigrant visitors to meet. For now, the numbers tell the story officials want: rising totals for visa cancellations tied to DUI, assault, and theft, more student visa revocations, and a willingness to scrutinize what people say online when the government believes those statements cross into threats or support for terrorism. Whether that balance holds under public and legal scrutiny will shape how far the department can go as it continues to wield its revocation authority in the months ahead.
This Article in a Nutshell
The State Department has revoked roughly 80,000 non-immigrant visas since January 20, 2025, citing public safety and national security. Nearly half of cancellations relate to three offenses: DUI (16,000), assault (12,000) and theft (8,000). Student visa revocations rose about 33% to 8,000, with over 6,000 tied to overstays or law violations. Officials also expanded scrutiny to social media posts and political speech, and say enhanced vetting and data-sharing will keep revocations high.
