Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The Trump administration has revoked more than 175,000 visas from foreign nationals since January 2025, the US State Department announced on Monday, August 10, 2026, in a sweeping immigration enforcement action that has stripped travel and residency privileges from tens of thousands of individuals over criminal activity, fraud, visa violations, and national security concerns. The announcement, which comes as part of the administration's broader immigration crackdown, represents a significant escalation in the vetting and removal of foreign nationals deemed to pose a threat to American communities or to have abused the immigration system.
According to the State Department, the majority of the visa revocations stemmed from law enforcement encounters involving a range of criminal activity. Assault, driving under the influence, theft, and drug-related offences were identified as the leading causes for cancellation. A significant share of visas were also revoked for reckless driving, sexual assault, child abuse, fraud, embezzlement, and other crimes. The department's fact sheet detailed a series of specific cases that prompted revocation, including a foreign national charged with felony rape and sexual battery of a mentally disabled victim, another charged with kidnapping, human trafficking, and sexual exploitation of a minor, and a person facing more than a dozen counts of possessing child sexual abuse material.
One US embassy in North Africa revoked more than 100 visas from "birth tourist" parents who allegedly came to the United States primarily to give birth so their children would receive US citizenship. The department also revoked the visas of multiple foreign nationals who celebrated the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, including one who stated "when fascists die, democrats don't complain" and another who said he "died too late". Other revocations targeted a foreign national who orchestrated a massive Medicaid scam, billing over $5 million for fake services, and another who built a company on lies, faking revenue and swindling millions from investors. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has also determined that numerous foreign nationals are deportable on foreign policy grounds, including individuals connected to the Cuban regime, Iranian nationals with regime ties, and a Kuwaiti national who wished violence against the President and called Americans his "enemy".
The State Department emphasised that the revocations are the result of continuous vetting operations designed to ensure that visa recipients abide by the terms of their visas and do not endanger Americans. "A US visa is a privilege, not a right," the department declared, adding that it remains committed to using every tool available to protect American communities from those who abuse it. The announcement follows an earlier statement in January 2026, when the department said it had revoked more than 100,000 visas, a record at the time.
The administration has also adopted stricter policies on granting visas, with tightened social media vetting and expanded screening. The extent of the revocations reflects the broad immigration crackdown initiated when Trump returned to the White House last year, deporting an unprecedented number of migrants, including some who held valid visas. The Trump administration has defended the measures as necessary to protect national security and ensure that the immigration system is not abused. However, rights advocates and human rights experts have condemned the administration's social media screening efforts, which they say threaten free speech and are akin to surveillance and the singling out of immigrants.
The revocation of more than 175,000 visas marks one of the largest single enforcement actions of its kind in recent US history, with the State Department making clear that the policy of identifying, investigating, and revoking the visas of foreign nationals who threaten the safety of the American people will continue. For the tens of thousands of individuals affected, the message from Washington is unmistakable: the privilege of entering the United States comes with conditions, and violations will not be tolerated.
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