By Sabiu Abdullahi
The United States government says it has revoked more than 175,000 visas issued to foreign nationals under President Donald Trump’s administration over alleged criminal activities, violations of visa conditions and security concerns.
The US Department of State disclosed this in a statement issued on Monday, explaining that most of the cancellations followed encounters with law enforcement agencies.
According to the department, the major reasons included assault, driving under the influence, theft and drug-related offences.
It said other visas were cancelled over “reckless driving, sexual assault, child abuse, fraud, embezzlement and other crimes”.
The department said the action formed part of its continuous screening of visa holders to determine whether they were complying with immigration conditions and whether they posed risks to Americans.
Some of the affected individuals, it said, had faced serious criminal allegations, including “felony rape and sexual battery, kidnapping, human trafficking, sexual exploitation of minors, child sexual abuse offences and domestic violence”.
The department also disclosed that a US embassy in North Africa cancelled more than 100 visas issued to parents accused of engaging in “birth tourism”. The practice involves travelling to the US mainly to give birth so that children can acquire US citizenship.
Other cases cited by the department included a foreign national who was arrested for allegedly driving with heroin while having a blood alcohol concentration more than three times the legal limit.
The US government also reported cases involving alleged financial crimes and fraud.
One foreign national who reportedly claimed to operate a legitimate business that assisted vulnerable patients with healthcare was accused of helping to organise a Medicaid fraud scheme involving more than $5 million in fraudulent claims.
Another individual was accused of falsifying company revenue and forging letters to mislead investors and fraudulently secure a US visa, according to the department.
The State Department also cited visa revocations involving foreign nationals accused of celebrating the assassination of Charlie Kirk. It said some of the individuals had made statements that appeared to support or celebrate his death.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio has also determined that several foreign nationals are deportable on foreign policy grounds, the department said.
Among the cases were a Cuban national allegedly linked to an influence operation associated with Cuba’s communist government and Iranian nationals accused of having connections to the Iranian government.
The department also listed a Laotian child sex offender who had been pardoned by Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and a Kuwaiti national accused of expressing a desire to attack the US president and describing Americans as his “enemy”.
The State Department said it would continue to investigate foreign nationals who it considers threats to public safety and cancel their visas where necessary.
“A U.S. visa is a privilege, not a right,” the department said, adding that it would use available measures to protect American communities from individuals who abuse the immigration system.
