The State Department has revoked more than 250,000 visas since President Donald Trump returned to office, marking a major expansion of the administration’s effort to continuously screen foreign nationals after they receive permission to travel to the United States.
🚨 MASSIVE DEVELOPMENT: The Trump administration has now revoked 250,000 visas — MORE THAN ANY ADMIN IN HISTORY — after Sec. Marco Rubio put his foot down
— Eric Daugherty @EricLDaugh October 2, 2026
The department says the revocations have targeted foreign nationals accused of committing crimes, violating visa requirements, defrauding Americans, abusing the immigration system or presenting national security concerns.
“Under President Trump and Secretary Rubio, the State Department has now revoked more than 250,000 visas — a historic milestone that reflects our unwavering commitment to protecting the American people,” State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said.
“Every visa decision is a national security decision,” he added. “Through continuous vetting on a scale never seen before, we are identifying and removing those who commit crimes, support terrorism, defraud Americans, or abuse our immigration system.”
The new figure represents a sharp increase from the 175,000 revocations the department reported in August.
🚨 MASSIVE DEVELOPMENT: The Trump administration has now revoked 250,000 visas — MORE THAN ANY ADMIN IN HISTORY — after Sec. Marco Rubio put his foot down
“The Trump administration has revoked more visas than any administration in history. Nothing…
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) October 2, 2026
At the time, officials said most of those cases followed encounters with law enforcement. Assault, driving under the influence, theft and drug offenses were among the leading reasons cited.
Other revocations involved allegations of reckless driving, sexual assault, child abuse, fraud and embezzlement.
A visa revocation does not necessarily mean the person has been convicted of a crime, and revoking a visa is distinct from deportation. Removal proceedings generally fall under the Department of Homeland Security.
The administration says approximately 2,300 of the more than 250,000 revocations were connected to “birth tourism” — cases involving foreign nationals accused of traveling to the United States primarily to give birth so their children would receive U.S. citizenship.
The State Department has also used visa restrictions as a foreign-policy tool.
On Monday, it announced restrictions involving 27 current and former Latin American officials and family members from Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru.
The department accused those targeted of corruption or interfering with efforts to combat drug trafficking and organized crime. Some of the officials have disputed the U.S. government’s allegations.
The increase in revocations is part of a broader shift toward “continuous vetting.”
Traditionally, much of the government’s screening occurred when someone applied for a visa. The administration has increasingly emphasized reviewing visa holders after approval as well, examining new information that could affect their eligibility.
That potentially applies to tens of millions of people holding valid U.S. visas.
The administration has simultaneously expanded its review of applicants’ online activity.
Beginning Oct. 1, the State Department broadened online-presence screening to additional categories, including foreign media representatives and certain Canadian and Mexican professionals and their dependents.
Applicants in those categories have been instructed to make their social-media profiles public or open so consular officials can review them.
Expanded online screening was already being used for categories including students, exchange visitors, temporary workers, religious workers and certain diplomatic employees.
The department says the reviews are designed to identify applicants who could pose national security or public-safety risks and to determine whether they genuinely qualify for the visas they are seeking.
The administration also attempted earlier this year to halt immigrant-visa issuance for nationals of 75 countries while officials conducted additional screening related to the likelihood that applicants would rely on public benefits.
But U.S. District Judge Jeannette Vargas struck down the 75-country pause in August, concluding that Rubio had exceeded his statutory authority by imposing a nationality-based prohibition on issuing otherwise eligible immigrant visas.
The State Department subsequently acknowledged that the 75-country pause was no longer in effect.
The administration has continued tightening other aspects of the visa process despite that ruling.
The latest revocation total also represents a substantial acceleration from recent years.
The State Department revoked roughly 40,000 visas during 2024, the final full year of the Biden administration, compared with more than 100,000 during Trump’s first year back in office.
By August 2026, the department said it was revoking more than 10,000 visas per month.
This article may contain commentary which reflects the author’s opinion.
