By Ajibola Olaide, JKNewsMedia Reporter
MORE THAN 175,000 visas issued to foreign nationals have been revoked by the United States Department of State (USDS) under President Donald J. Trump over visa violations, criminal activity, fraud, threats to national security and calls for violence against U.S. citizens.
JKNewsMedia.com reports that the U.S. State Department said most of the revocations followed law enforcement encounters involving a range of criminal activity, with assault, driving under the influence, theft and drug crimes among the leading causes.
It said a significant share of visas were also revoked over reckless driving, sexual assault, child abuse, fraud and embezzlement, alongside other crimes.
The department also said its continuous vetting operations led to the revocations and were designed to ensure visa recipients complied with the terms of their visas and did not endanger Americans.
Among the cases cited were foreign nationals charged with felony rape and sexual battery, including an offence involving a mentally disabled victim, as well as felony kidnapping, human trafficking and sexual exploitation of a minor.
Other cases involved arrests for disorderly conduct, resisting arrest with violence, drunk driving and domestic violence.
A U.S. embassy in North Africa also revoked more than 100 visas issued to “birth tourist” parents who travelled to the United States primarily to give birth so their children could obtain U.S. citizenship.
The department also cited cases involving charges of sodomy of a child, aggravated sexual battery and possession of child sexual abuse material. One foreign national was arrested for driving with heroin and a blood alcohol level more than three times the legal limit.
Multiple foreign nationals who celebrated the assassination of Charlie Kirk also had their visas revoked, including one who stated, “when fascists die, democrats don’t complain,” and another who said he “died too late.”
The department further identified cases involving a foreign national accused of orchestrating a Medicaid scam by billing for more than $5 million in fake services, and another who allegedly used false claims and forged letters to fraudulently secure a visa after faking revenue and deceiving investors.
Another foreign national who travelled to the United States to teach young students was arrested for sexually assaulting one, the department said.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio has also determined that numerous foreign nationals are deportable on foreign policy grounds, including a Cuban national connected to a Cuban communist regime influence operation, Iranian nationals with connections to the Iranian regime, a Laotian child sex offender pardoned by Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, and a Kuwaiti national who wished for violence against the President of the United States and called Americans his “enemy.”
The State Department said it would continue to identify, investigate and revoke the visas of foreign nationals who threatened the safety of the American people.
“A U.S. visa is a privilege, not a right,” the department said, adding that it remained committed to using every available tool to protect communities from those who abused it, U.S. State Department asserts.
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