Washington, D.C. – The United States is carrying out a sweeping review of more than 55 million visa holders, assessing whether they have violated the conditions of their entry or stay, the State Department confirmed Friday.
A department spokesperson told the Associated Press that all foreign nationals with U.S. visas will now be subject to “continuous vetting.” Officials said visas could be revoked if holders are found to have overstayed, committed crimes, posed threats to public safety, engaged in terrorist activity, or supported terrorist organizations.
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The review reflects President Donald Trump’s hardline immigration agenda, which has become the cornerstone of his second administration. Trump has already enacted mass deportations, sweeping travel bans on multiple countries, and revoked thousands of student visas.
State Department officials indicated that the new vetting process, though time-consuming, is broader than ever before and could lead to abrupt cancellations even for individuals already legally present in the U.S. Prospective students and visitors will also face social media screening, with officials tasked to flag “any indications of hostility toward the citizens, culture, government, institutions, or founding principles of the United States.”
Officers have additionally been instructed to identify people who support or aid designated foreign terrorist groups or engage in unlawful anti-Semitic harassment or violence.
Matthew Tragesser, spokesperson for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, said in a statement: “America’s benefits should not be given to those who despise the country and promote anti-American ideologies. We are committed to implementing policies that root out anti-Americanism.”
The announcement comes as Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the U.S. would “immediately” suspend the issuance of worker visas for truck drivers, arguing foreign drivers endangered American lives and undercut domestic truckers’ livelihoods.
Since Trump returned to power in January, his administration has intensified immigration restrictions, including:
- Arrests of foreign students at U.S. universities for protesting U.S. support of Israel’s war in Gaza.
- Imposing a $15,000 deposit requirement on visitors from Malawi and Zambia.
- Expanding travel bans to 12 countries, with partial restrictions on seven others.
- Temporarily revoking the legal status of more than 500,000 migrants.
- Renewed pledges to end birthright citizenship.
According to the Department of Homeland Security, there were 12.8 million green card holders and 3.6 million people on temporary visas in the U.S. last year. The new measures raise fears that millions of foreign residents—students, workers, and long-term visa holders—could suddenly lose permission to remain in the country.
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