Since President Donald Trump was inaugurated in January 2025, the State Department, led by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, has revoked more than 175,000 visas issued to foreign nationals. The department says those visas were revoked from individuals who violated their visa terms, committed crimes, called for violence against Americans, defrauded U.S. citizens, abused the immigration system, or posed a threat to national security. 

According to the State Department, the majority of the revocations followed encounters with law enforcement involving a wide range of criminal conduct, with drunk-driving arrests, assault, theft, and drug offenses also accounting for a significant share, while other visas were revoked over crimes involving sexual assault, child abuse, fraud, embezzlement, and related criminal conduct.

The crackdown reflects the Trump administration’s broader effort to enforce immigration law against foreign nationals in the United States, whether they entered legally or illegally. Protecting Americans from crimes committed by illegal aliens was one of Trump’s most prominent promises during the 2024 campaign. But the administration’s visa-revocation campaign makes clear that lawful immigration status is not a shield from accountability: foreign nationals who violate U.S. law can lose the privilege of remaining in the country.

"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 State Department said in a statement. "A U.S. visa is a privilege, not a right. The Department remains committed to using every tool available to protect our communities from those who abuse it."