The State Department said on Thursday that it is vetting more than 55 million U.S. visa holders for deportable offenses, including overstays, criminal activity and engagement in any form of “terrorist activity.”
The department stated that all U.S. visa holders, which includes international students and tourists, will go through “continuous vetting.”
“The State Department revokes visas any time there are indications of a potential ineligibility, which includes things like any indicators of overstays, criminal activity, threats to public safety, engaging in any form of terrorist activity, or providing support to a terrorist organization,” a State Department spokesperson told The Hill in an emailed statement on Thursday.
“We review all available information as part of our vetting, including law enforcement or immigration records or any other information that comes to light after visa issuance indicating a potential ineligibility under the INA,” the spokesperson added, referring to the Immigration and Nationality Act.
Since the start of President Trump’s second term in office, the State Department has revoked more than 6,000 student visas. Around 4,000 of those individuals broke the law, while another 200 to 300 were rescinded for backing terrorists, according to the State Department.
The White House has gone after foreign students who have participated in pro-Palestine protests around the country, arguing they are national security threats. Some of those students are currently challenging the deportation proceedings.
Earlier this year, thousands of international students were withdrawn from the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System, although their status was later restored.
The administration has also focused on arresting and deporting migrants who are in the U.S. illegally as part of Trump’s sweeping immigration agenda.
“As part of the Trump Administration’s commitment to protect U.S. national security and public safety, since Inauguration Day the State Department has revoked more than twice as many visas, including nearly four times as many student visas, as during the same time period last year,” the State Department spokesperson said on Thursday.
