The United States Department of State has revoked more than 175,000 visas held by foreign nationals since President Donald Trump returned to the White House, marking a sharp escalation in the administration’s immigration enforcement efforts.
The department disclosed the figure on Monday, 10 August 2026, saying the cancellations resulted from its continuing review of visa holders to determine whether they still met the conditions attached to their visas.
Also read: US Embassy Abuja stays open as visa processing shifts
The latest total represents a substantial increase from the more than 100,000 visa revocations announced by the department in January. The earlier figure was described by the administration at the time as a record.
According to the State Department, most of the latest revocations followed encounters with law enforcement over alleged criminal activity.
The offences cited ranged from assault, driving under the influence, theft and drug-related crimes to more serious allegations involving rape, kidnapping, human trafficking and sexual offences against children.
The department also said visas had been cancelled in cases involving immigration fraud, violations of visa conditions and conduct officials considered a threat to US national security.
Some cases involved foreign nationals whose social media activity was viewed by the administration as encouraging violence against Americans.
The department specifically cited multiple cases involving people who celebrated the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
The administration has also targeted what it describes as so-called birth tourism.
In one case highlighted by the State Department, a US embassy in North Africa revoked more than 100 visas involving people accused of travelling to the United States primarily to give birth so their children could obtain US citizenship.
The latest figures underline the scale of the Trump administration’s continuing immigration crackdown, which has expanded scrutiny not only of people applying for US visas but also of foreign nationals who already hold them.
The State Department has maintained that holding a US visa does not provide an unconditional right to remain in the country.
“A U.S. visa is a privilege, not a right,” the department said, according to reporting on its latest announcement.
The administration argues that the policy is necessary to protect public safety, enforce immigration rules and preserve the integrity of the US visa system.
The approach has nevertheless drawn concern from immigration lawyers and rights advocates, particularly over the breadth of the revocation process and cases involving people who have been accused or charged but not necessarily convicted of crimes.
The distinction is important because a visa revocation can affect a foreign national’s ability to travel to the United States even when the underlying circumstances involve an arrest, charge or other law-enforcement encounter rather than a final criminal conviction.
The administration’s review also reflects a broader policy shift towards continuous scrutiny of foreign nationals.
Rather than treating visa issuance as the end of the vetting process, US authorities are increasingly examining whether visa holders continue to comply with immigration and legal requirements after entering the country.
For travellers, students, workers and other foreign nationals holding US visas, the development reinforces the importance of complying with the terms of their status and avoiding conduct that could trigger immigration or security concerns.
The scale of the cancellations also suggests that the administration’s enforcement drive is unlikely to be a short-term measure.
With more than 175,000 visas already revoked, the latest figures point to an increasingly assertive use of visa cancellation as part of Trump’s wider immigration strategy.
Also read: US Embassy Abuja stays open as visa processing shifts
The State Department has indicated that the review will continue, meaning the number of revoked visas could rise further as officials identify additional cases involving alleged criminal conduct, immigration violations, fraud or national-security concerns.
David Okere is a journalist and contributor to Freelanews.com, covering business, governance, public affairs, and human-interest stories with a commitment to accuracy, balance, and public interest reporting.
