WASHINGTON: The US State Department says it has revoked more than 250,000 visas since President Donald Trump began his second term, calling the figure a historic milestone in its enforcement of immigration rules.
According to the department, the visas were revoked from foreign nationals accused of violating visa terms, committing crimes, defrauding US citizens, abusing the immigration system, calling for violence against Americans or endangering national security.
“Under President Trump and Secretary Rubio, the State Department has now revoked more than 250,000 visas,” department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said, describing the number as reflecting a commitment to protecting the American people.
Birth tourism has been one focus of the campaign. In that practice, pregnant foreign nationals travel to the United States so that their children acquire American citizenship. The department said 2,300 of the revoked visas were tied to birth tourism, and it has since created a Birth Tourism Prevention Task Force to identify the individuals and networks involved.
Pigott said nearly 900 visas have been revoked since the task force was launched in early August. The task force is examining travel records worldwide, working with the Department of Homeland Security, and says it is targeting networks that profit by marketing childbirth-related services to prospective parents.
The department says US embassies abroad have also uncovered organized schemes. One embassy in Europe identified more than 400 suspected birth tourism cases since 2024, and an embassy in North Africa revoked more than 100 visas. In some cases, officials said, applicants used fraudulent documents and visa fixers. Several people have been permanently barred from entering the United States.
The pace of revocations has accelerated. The department said in August that it had revoked more than 175,000 visas, and the latest figure is well above that. The State Department has not released a breakdown of revoked visas by nationality.