Trump Administration Cancels More Than 175,000 Visas

The Trump administration has cancelled more than 175,000 visas held by foreign nationals, officials confirmed on Monday.

The State Department said most cancellations followed law enforcement encounters involving alleged criminal activity, including assault, driving under the influence, theft and drug offences. Other cited reasons included reckless driving, sexual assault, fraud, child abuse and other crimes.

Officials described the cancellations as part of continuous screening to ensure visa holders follow immigration rules and do not pose a threat to Americans.

“Under President Trump and Secretary Rubio’s leadership, the State Department will continue to identify, investigate, and revoke the visas of foreign nationals who threaten the safety of the American people,” the department said.

The scale of the visa cancellations has risen sharply. Officials said the administration is now cancelling more than 10,000 visas each month in 2026. By comparison, about 8,000 visas were cancelled during the whole of 2025.

Immigration lawyers have raised concerns about the process, warning that some people could lose their status because of minor police encounters or allegations that never resulted in court convictions.

One notable case involves Tou Lue Vang, a 42-year-old father of six who was deported to Laos last month. The State Department said his removal took place on “foreign policy grounds”, despite Minnesota Governor Tim Walz having pardoned him weeks earlier for a 2005 child sexual abuse conviction.

Officials also cited visa cancellations involving foreign nationals accused of supporting violence against Americans, including people who allegedly celebrated the September 2025 assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

Meanwhile, a US diplomatic post in North Africa cancelled more than 100 visas involving alleged birth tourism, where foreign nationals travel to the United States to give birth so their children can obtain US citizenship.

President Trump recently issued directives targeting birth tourism and seeking to end automatic citizenship for children born to certain non-citizen parents. The measures are expected to face legal challenges following a Supreme Court ruling in June that blocked an earlier attempt to restrict birthright citizenship.

Should visa holders lose their status over minor police encounters or unproven accusations?