President Trump has revoked 85,000 Visas under expanded US immigration crackdown.
NaijaOnPoint Nigeria reports that the United States has revoked approximately 85,000 visas in the past year, a record-setting figure driven by the Trump administration’s expanded immigration enforcement and stricter screening of foreign visitors, workers, and students.
According to a senior State Department official, the surge in visa cancellations is tied to public safety concerns and a broader interpretation of behaviors considered relevant to visa eligibility. But immigrant-rights groups argue the widened criteria could unfairly target people whose offenses pose no real threat.
More than 8,000 international students were affected more than double the number from the previous year reflecting how deeply the policy shift has impacted academic communities.
Why Visas Were Revoked
Officials cited a range of factors behind the revocations. Some were linked to alleged criminal conduct such as DUI, assault, and theft. However, they also pointed to new vetting practices that adopt a far more aggressive approach to identifying perceived risks.
“These are individuals we believe pose a direct threat to community safety,” a State Department official said, adding that consular officers were instructed to adopt a more expansive view of conduct that could disqualify an applicant.
More Visa Categories Face Tightened Scrutiny
The stricter review now cuts across multiple visa types. Recently, consular officers were directed to apply additional checks on H-1B applicants, commonly used by U.S. tech companies and specialized employers.
Internal memos published by U.S. media reveal that visas may be denied to applicants suspected of involvement in activities that suppress protected speech while in the U.S., a standard immigration attorneys describe as unusually broad and difficult to assess.
New Restrictions and Related Actions
The crackdown comes alongside a series of other restrictive measures. Just last week, the administration announced it would fully halt immigration from 19 countries already under partial travel bans, citing unresolved security risks.
The State Department also introduced a new visa-restriction policy targeting individuals suspected of involvement in anti-Christian attacks in Nigeria, part of its global effort to counter religiously motivated violence.
In another development, U.S. officials cancelled the visas of six executives of a Mexican airline company and their families, accusing them of partnering with smuggling networks to move migrants including minors across Central America with fraudulent travel documents.
Growing Backlash From Rights Groups and Academic Institutions
While supporters of the administration praise the changes as overdue reforms to protect U.S. security, civil-liberties groups and academic organizations warn the sweeping revocations could have lasting consequences. They argue the measures threaten international education, research partnerships, and legitimate travel.
The State Department has signaled that these intensified checks are not temporary. For many would-be visitors, workers, and students, the message is clear: the threshold for entering or staying in the United States is rising and will continue to rise.