The Trump administration has revoked over 4,000 student visas in just the first 100 days of President Donald Trump’s second term. The move, confirmed by the State Department, is being framed as a crackdown on foreign nationals who have violated U.S. laws while in the country on student visas.
A senior State Department official told Fox News that the mass revocations are part of a broader effort to reform what they describe as a historically “broken” visa system.
“Our visa system has lacked oversight and accountability,” the official said. “Over the past 100 days, the Trump Administration has worked to fix a broken system.”
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Leading the initiative is Secretary of State Marco Rubio, whose approach to visa enforcement has involved extensive background checks and swift punitive action.
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“Secretary [Marco] Rubio has led the State Department to take a surgical vetting approach to ensure individuals in America as visitors are abiding by ours laws,” the source added. “We established an action working group, which has resulted in thousands of visas being revoked because these individuals broke our laws. This is what effective governance looks like.”
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According to the New York Post, the violations that triggered revocations include a range of serious offenses — from domestic abuse and DUI to arson, trafficking, and robbery. The paper reports that more than 500 of the affected students had prior criminal assault records.
“They came, and they were breaking the law with no consequences,” a source told the Post. “We set up a special action team to handle this.”
When asked for comment, a State Department spokesperson told Fox News that visa revocations are a routine part of U.S. border security efforts.
“Because the process is ongoing, the number of revocations is dynamic,” the spokesperson said, explaining that the department “generally does not provide statistics on visa revocations.”
Still, the spokesperson emphasized that the action aligns with the administration’s broader focus on public safety and national security.
“The Trump Administration is focused on protecting our nation and our citizens by upholding the highest standards of national security and public safety through our visa process,” the spokesperson said. “Every prospective traveler to the United States undergoes interagency security vetting. Prohibiting entry to the United States by those who might pose a threat to U.S. national security or public safety is key to protecting U.S. citizens at home. The Department of State will continue to work closely with the Department of Homeland Security to enforce zero tolerance for aliens in the United States who violate U.S. laws, threaten public safety, or in other situations where warranted.”
READ ALSO: Lawsuits surge after U.S. revokes international student visas without warning
The State Department worked in tandem with the Department of Homeland Security, cross-checking visa holders’ information with law enforcement databases to identify students who had committed crimes.
Officials stressed that revocations targeted only individuals found guilty of serious infractions.
“There were cases like where it was not a serious thing, like littering, or somebody had charges that were dropped, where we didn’t revoke those,” a source explained. “Because it should be a serious matter.”
According to the Post, many of the students affected hailed from countries in Asia and the Middle East. While some have already left the U.S. voluntarily, others face deportation in the coming weeks.
More recently, the crackdown has extended to student visa holders allegedly connected to anti-Israel demonstrations on college campuses. Hundreds of students reportedly lost their visas for their involvement in what officials described as disruptive protest actions.
Secretary Rubio has been blunt about the administration’s stance.
“If you come into the United States as a visitor and create a ruckus for us, we don’t want it,” he said.
Rubio pointed to acts of vandalism and protest as grounds for removal, comparing student visas to conditional hospitality.
“So when we identify lunatics like these, we take away their student visa,” Rubio said during an April 10 Cabinet meeting. “No one’s entitled to a student visa. The press covers student visas like there’s some sort of birthright. No, a student visa is like me inviting you into my home. If you come into my home and put all kinds of crap on my couch, I’m going to kick you out of my house. And so, you know, that’s what we’re doing with our country thanks to the president.”
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