The Trump administration has revoked more than 175,000 visas held by foreign nationals, officials confirmed Monday, marking a sweeping escalation in immigration enforcement.
Officials said the cancellations were driven by a mix of alleged paperwork violations, links to unlawful activity and claims that some visa holders incited violence against Americans.
According to State Department representatives, most of the revoked visas were tied to what the agency described as “law enforcement encounters” — a broad category that has prompted concern among immigration lawyers and legal analysts.
Attorneys who handle immigration cases warn that the policy could leave foreign nationals vulnerable to losing legal status over minor police contact or allegations that never resulted in a conviction, or even a court case.
‘The majority of these visas were revoked due to law enforcement encounters for a range of criminal activity, with assault, driving under the influence, theft and drug crimes being the leading causes,’ the State Department said in a statement, listing other reasons like reckless driving, sexual assault, fraud, child abuse and ‘other crimes.’
Federal officials framed the mass revocations as part of the State Department’s ongoing vetting program, saying the process is designed to ensure visa holders follow the conditions of their stay and do not pose a threat to public safety.
‘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,’ part of the statement reads.
The newly released numbers point to a significant year-over-year increase in visa revocations, with officials now canceling more than 10,000 visas per month on average in 2026.
More than 175,000 visas held by foreign nationals have been canceled by the Trump administration, officials confirmed Monday
Immigration attorneys worry that officials are stripping visa statuses over trivial police interactions or unproven accusations that were never tried in court
Government officials are characterizing the widespread cancellations ‘as a result of the State Department’s continuous vetting operations, which ensure that visa recipients abide by the terms of their visa and do not endanger Americans’
Senior Trump adviser Stephen Miller likened birth tourism to fraud during the Oval Office signing ceremony last week
By comparison, the government voided roughly 8,000 visas across the entirety of 2025 – a figure mirrored in a January report from the Trump administration detailing more than 100,000 cancellations over the preceding 12-month period.
Among the most notable cases is Tou Lue Vang, a 42-year-old father of six who the Department of Homeland Security expelled to Laos last month.
While Minnesota Governor Tim Walz had granted Vang a pardon just weeks prior for a 2005 child sexual abuse conviction, the State Department confirmed his removal was executed on ‘foreign policy grounds.’
Additional people ousted on ‘foreign policy grounds’ include Cuban citizens linked to their country’s communist government, Iranian nationals in the US associated with Tehran’s leadership and a Kuwaiti citizen who the State Department said ‘wished for violence against’ the President and labeled Americans his ‘enemy.’
State Department officials also cited broad enforcement actions against ‘multiple foreign nationals who celebrated the assassination of Charlie Kirk,’ the conservative activist killed in September 2025.
Additionally, officials confirmed that a US diplomatic post in North Africa canceled over 100 visas targeting ‘birth tourist’ parents who allegedly traveled to America with the main objective of giving birth so their newborns would become US citizens.
President Trump issued a pair of executive directives just last week targeting birth tourism and ending automatic citizenship for children born to foreign diplomats stationed in the US.
The move targets non-citizens who journey to America specifically to deliver babies that qualify for US citizenship.
Among the most notable cases is Tou Lue Vang, a 42-year-old father of six who the Department of Homeland Security expelled to Laos last month
Activists hold signs condemning Trump’s move to end birthright citizenship outside of the US Supreme Court in May
The latest figures show a sharp spike in visa cancellations year-over-year, with officials now averaging upward of 10,000 revocations monthly in 2026
‘They’re buying their way in, and we’re not going to let it happen,’ Trump declared during an Oval Office presentation on the measures, adding, ‘We’re making adjustments because it’s very unfair.’
Senior Trump adviser Stephen Miller likened birth tourism to fraud during the signing ceremony last week.
Expected to prompt swift court battles, the directives mark the administration’s latest effort to reshape 14th Amendment birthright guarantees.
The action comes on the heels of a late June Supreme Court ruling that blocked a previous attempt by the Trump administration to restrict citizenship for kids born on American soil to non-citizen parents.
