Trump administration revokes 100,000+ visas in record State Department crackdown
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FIRST ON FOX: State Department cancels more than 100,000 foreign visas in 2025; That was more than double the figure in 2024 in the final year of President Joe Biden’s administration.
That figure is an all-time record and follows President Donald Trump’s first-day executive order on foreign scrutiny. The Ministry canceled 40,000 visas in 2024.
The majority of cancellations were for business and tourist travelers who had overstayed their visas.
However, approximately 8,000 students and 2,500 specialized workers also lost their legal status. A department spokesman said the majority of students and workers who lost their visas had criminal encounters with law enforcement.
The State Department has canceled more than 100,000 foreign visas in 2025. (J. David Ake/Getty Images)
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Among professional workers, half of revocations were based on DUI arrests, 30% were based on assault, battery or imprisonment charges, and the remaining 20% were revocations for theft, child abuse, substance abuse and distribution, and fraud and embezzlement charges.
According to a ministry spokesman, nearly 500 students lost their visas for drug possession and distribution, and hundreds of foreign workers lost their visas because they were believed to have exploited children..
In August 2025, the Trump administration announced that it was reviewing all 55 million foreigners with valid US visas.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced new policies on visas on Wednesday. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
Tommy Piggott, the State Department’s chief deputy spokesman, added that the administration will continue its aggressive enforcement posture through its new “sustained review center.”
“The Trump administration will continue to put America first and protect our nation from foreign nationals who pose a risk to public safety or national security,” he said.
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The ministry also implemented stricter standards for obtaining a US visa.
In November 2025, Fox News Digital first reported that the department would implement a “public charge” rule and deny visas to applicants deemed likely to receive public benefits. These included health reasons (elderly and overweight people come under increased scrutiny), English proficiency, financial situation, or other potential needs for long-term care.
