US Revokes More Than 300,000 Visas Since Trump’s Return to Office, State Department Says

Washington, October 20, 2026: The administration of US President Donald Trump has revoked more than 300,000 visas since the start of his second term in January 2025, the US State Department announced on Tuesday, as Washington continues its broad crackdown on immigration.

The figure shows a sharp acceleration in revocations in recent weeks. In an update issued on August 10, the State Department had put the total at just over 175,000. In January this year, it reported that more than 100,000 visas had been revoked, which it described as a record at the time.

State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott announced the latest figure on the social media platform X. He said the administration “has revoked more visas at a faster pace than any administration in history.” He added that the policy targets foreign nationals in the United States on visas who break the law, commit fraud or pose a threat to national security.

According to a US official, most of the revoked visas were cancelled over criminal activity or other public safety concerns. Assault and related offences accounted for about a quarter of cases, and driving under the influence for just over a fifth. The official said more than 4,000 revocations involved foreign nationals who had taken part in or facilitated so-called birth tourism.

President Trump has said his immigration crackdown and deportation drive are intended to strengthen domestic security. Alongside its enforcement against illegal immigration, the administration has also tightened legal immigration routes, including by imposing high fees on certain work visas. It has expanded screening of visa applicants and introduced stricter vetting of their social media activity.

The policy has drawn strong criticism from rights advocates. They argue the crackdown has violated due process and free speech protections and has created an unsafe environment for ethnic minorities, many of whom have raised concerns about racial profiling. Among the most contested cases are revocations of visas held by pro-Palestinian foreign protesters who demonstrated against Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, and of foreign nationals targeted over their social media comments about the assassination of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk.

Critics have also condemned the administration’s expanded social media screening of immigrants and visa applicants. They say it threatens freedom of expression and amounts to surveillance that singles out foreign nationals.