250,000 Visas Revoked: State Department Enforcement Tally Since January 2025
October 2, 2026 · Frisian News
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
The State Department has revoked more than 250,000 visas from foreign nationals since January 2025, covering criminal offenders, foreign policy threats, and birth tourists. Secretary Marco Rubio's announcement puts a hard number on an enforcement gap the previous administration left open.
The State Department has revoked more than 250,000 visas from foreign nationals since President Trump took office in January 2025. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the figure this week; officials called it "a historic milestone that reflects our unwavering commitment to protecting the American people."
The pace is measurable. A State Department fact sheet dated August 10, 2026 recorded 175,000 revocations at that point. The count then rose by at least 75,000 in roughly seven weeks.
The leading causes for revocation, per that August fact sheet, were law enforcement encounters for assault, driving under the influence, theft, and drug crimes. A significant share followed arrests for sexual assault, child abuse, fraud, and embezzlement. One case the department cited: a foreign national charged with felony rape and sexual battery of a mentally disabled victim had their visa revoked. Another: a visa holder faced felony counts of kidnapping, human trafficking, and sexual exploitation of a minor.
Beyond criminal records, Rubio used his authority to determine that several foreign nationals were deportable on foreign policy grounds. The department's August fact sheet names a Cuban national connected to a Cuban communist regime influence operation, Iranian nationals with ties to the Iranian regime, and a Kuwaiti national who called for violence against the President of the United States and described Americans as his "enemy." A Laotian child sex offender pardoned by Minnesota Governor Tim Walz also lost his visa under that authority.
A separate front targets birth tourism. On August 12, 2026, the State Department announced a Birth Tourism Prevention Task Force that had already revoked more than 600 visas worldwide. The department found systematic deception: one couple used a conference trip and a vacation as cover stories across two separate visa applications to give birth to two children in the United States. A foreign government official who requested a one-week official travel visa stayed three months, gave birth, and departed. The department revoked both sets of visas.
On September 28, 2026, the State Department added a geopolitical dimension. Under a new policy tied to the Shield of the Americas framework, it revoked visas for twelve Bolivian nationals, two Colombians, two Ecuadorians, and one Peruvian, all accused of undermining democratically elected governments through corruption or narcotrafficking. Bolivia's Attorney General Roger Mariaca was publicly designated under Section 7031(c) of the 2026 national security appropriations act for soliciting and accepting bribes to facilitate narcotrafficking.
A visa is a privilege, not a right. The State Department said so in August. The tally since January 2025 shows the cost of treating it otherwise.
FryskIt Steatedepartement hat mear as 250.000 fisa's ynlutsen fan bûtenlânske ûnderdienen sûnt presidint Trump yn jannewaris 2025 yn funksje kaam. Minister fan Bûtenlânske Saken Marco Rubio makke it tal dizze wike bekend; amtners neamden it 'in histoaryske mylpeal dy't ús ûnwankelber ynset foar de beskerming fan it Amerikaanske folk wjerspegelet.'
It tempo is mjitber. In fakteblêd fan it Steatedepartement datearre 10 augustus 2026 registrearre op dat stuit 175.000 ynlûkings. It tal steeg dêrnei mei op syn minst 75.000 yn sawat sân wiken.
De foarnaamste redenen foar ynlûking, neffens dat augustusfakteblêd, wienen tsjinkomsten mei rjochtshandhavers fanwegen oanfal, riden ûnder ynfloed, dieverij en drugsdelikten. In wichtich diel folge op arrestaasjes foar seksueel geweld, misbrûk fan bern, fraude en ferduistering. Ien saak dy't it departement neamde: in bûtenlânsk ûnderdaan beskulidge fan ferkrêfting en seksueel geweld tsjin in geastlik beheinde sloffer hie syn fisa ynlutsen. In oare saak: in fisahâlder stie foar beskuldigings fan kidnapping, minskehannel en seksuele eksploitaasje fan in minderjierrige.
Bûten kriminele foarskieden brûkte Rubio syn foech om te bepalen dat ferskate bûtenlânske ûnderdienen útsetber wienen op grûn fan bûtenlânsk belied. It augustusfakteblêd neamt in Kubaanske ûnderdaan ferbûn mei in ynfloedsoperaasje fan it Kubaansk kommunistysk rezjym, Iraanske ûnderdienen mei bannen mei it Iraansk rezjym, en in Koeweitske ûnderdaan dy't opriep ta geweld tsjin de presidint fan de Feriene Steaten en Amerikanen syn 'fijân' neamde. In Laotiaansk seksoertreder tsjin bern dy't begenadige is troch Minnesota-gûverneur Tim Walz ferlear syn fisa ek ûnder dy foech.
In apart front rjochtet him op berte-toerisme. Op 12 augustus 2026 kundige it Steatedepartement in Taakgroep foar de Foarkoming fan Berte-toerisme oan dy't al mear as 600 fisa's wrâldwiid ynlutsen hie. It departement fûn systematysk bedroch: ien pear brûkte in kongrêsreis en in fakânsje as dekmantels yn twa aparte fisa-oanfragen om yn de Feriene Steaten twa bern te krijen. In bûtenlânsk regearingsambtenaar dy't in fisa foar offisjeel reizgjen fan ien wike oanfrege, bleau trije moannen, krige in bern en fertrok. It departement luts beide sets fisa's yn.
Op 28 septimber 2026 foege it Steatedepartement in geopolitike diminsje ta. Ûnder in nij belied keppele oan it Shield of the Americas-ramt luts it fisa's yn fan tolve Boliviaanske ûnderdienen, twa Kolombiaanske, twa Ekwadoarske en ien Peruaanske, allegear beskulidge fan it ûndermynjen fan demokratysk keazen regearings troch korrupsje of narkohannels. Bolivias prokureur-generaal Roger Mariaca waard iepenbier oanwiisd ûnder seksje 7031(c) fan de wet op nasjonale feiligensbegrutting fan 2026 foar it freegjen en akseptearjen fan omkeapjild om narkohannels te fasilitearjen.
In fisa is in privileezje, gjin rjocht. It Steatedepartement sei dat yn augustus. It totaal sûnt jannewaris 2025 lit sjen wat it kostet om it oars te behanneljen.
Published October 2, 2026 · Frisian News