US Says it Has Revoked 300,000 Visas Since Trump Returned

The US State Department says it has revoked more than 300,000 visas since January 2025, with a mass revocation targeting asylum seekers still pending.

By News Ghana

October 21, 2026

The United States has revoked more than 300,000 visas since President Donald Trump began his second term in January 2025, the State Department said on 20 October.

The pace has accelerated. The department reported more than 100,000 revocations in January and more than 175,000 in August, meaning about 125,000 visas have been cancelled in roughly two months.

Spokesman Tommy Pigott said on X that the administration had revoked visas faster than any before it. He said it had “zero tolerance for foreigners here on visas who break the law,” commit fraud or threaten national security.

What the revocations cover

A department official told Al Jazeera that most revocations followed criminal activity, public safety concerns, immigration violations, fraud or misrepresentation. More than 4,000 involved people who took part in or facilitated birth tourism, travelling to the US to give birth so the child gains citizenship.

Among revocations for criminal or safety reasons, assault and related offences accounted for 25 percent and driving under the influence for 22 percent. Theft and drug offences made up seven percent each.

The department has not published a breakdown by nationality.

Asylum seekers next

A larger move is pending. In August, the Associated Press (AP) reported that the State Department and the Department of Homeland Security were preparing to revoke business (B1) and tourist (B2) visas issued between 2016 and 2026 to people who have sought asylum. Officials said up to 200,000 people could be affected.

Revocation would strip those people of their visa status but would not necessarily lead to immediate deportation, the AP reported. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau backed the plan, saying asylum should not be a loophole around immigration law. The move is expected to face legal challenges.

The crackdown has also reached legal migration. The administration has tightened social media vetting of applicants and imposed a $100,000 fee on new H-1B skilled worker visa petitions. Rights groups say the online screening threatens free speech and amounts to surveillance of immigrants.