Washington: The United States has revoked 85,000 visas across multiple categories this year as part of an intensified effort to protect American communities and enforce public safety standards, a senior State Department official announced.
The visa revocations include more than 8,000 student visas, which represents more than double the numbers from the previous year. The official spoke on condition of anonymity while addressing questions about the administration’s visa policies.
“Some of the top reasons why we revoked the visas were DUIs, assaults, and theft, which together account for almost half of the revocations in the past year,” the official stated. “These are people who pose a direct threat to our communities’ safety, and we do not want to have them in our country.”
The administration has maintained a stringent visa-vetting posture, particularly for applicants from high-risk environments. The official specifically addressed concerns about Afghanistan following the 2021 military withdrawal.
“This administration has always had concerns with the security in Afghanistan and making sure that we can appropriately vet and validate that visa applicants won’t be a threat,” the official explained.
The State Department emphasized that security checks will not be rushed. “We will take as much time as it takes, and we will not issue a visa until we are sure the applicant does not pose a threat to Americans’ safety and security,” the official added.
The official also addressed recent policy changes regarding content moderation and fact-checking work. “Freedom of speech is a fundamental American value, and the Trump Administration is defending Americans from foreigners who wish to censor them,” the official said, referencing Secretary Rubio’s visa restriction instituted in May targeting foreign nationals who censor Americans.
However, the official clarified that visa determinations are not based on a single factor. “When determining whether an applicant qualifies for a visa, consular officers look not just at one single factor, but at the totality of an individual’s circumstances, then they make a case-by-case determination regarding eligibility for a US visa.”
The heightened scrutiny continues as the US refines its immigration and vetting procedures. Thousands of Afghan nationals seeking resettlement through special US programs must clear multilayered security checks, a process that has led to long delays but remains central to US national security policy.
