The U.S. State Department has revoked more than 250,000 visas since the start of Donald Trump's second administration, putting a number on the government's crackdown on illegal immigration and its tougher entry screening.
Fox News reported the figures on the 30th, saying the State Department cited violations of the terms of stay and criminal conduct as the main grounds for revocation. Other grounds included inciting violence against the United States, defrauding Americans, abusing the immigration system and posing threats to national security.
Of the total, 2,300 cases were linked to birth tourism, in which a pregnant foreign national enters the country to give birth so the child can obtain U.S. citizenship.
State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott called the tally a historic milestone. Every visa decision is a national security decision, he said, adding that the department is continuing to vet applicants on an unprecedented scale. A visa is a privilege, not a right, he said, and those who violate its terms lose it.
On Sept. 28, the department also revoked the visas of 27 people, including current and former officials from Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru and their family members, citing allegations of corruption.
The U.S. government was earlier reported to have pursued a plan last summer to revoke the visas of as many as 200,000 asylum seekers. The plan targeted B1 and B2 business and tourist visas issued between 2016 and 2026.
An August tally put revocations at more than 175,000. Most of those cases stemmed from encounters with law enforcement, with assault, drunk driving, theft and drug offenses the most common. Cases of sexual assault, child abuse, fraud and embezzlement were also included.
