US revokes 2.5 million visas for five reasons

The US State Department said most of the visas were revoked due to criminal activity. The administration led by President Donald Trump has revoked more than 175,000 visas of foreign nationals. The move is part of an ongoing crackdown on immigrants in the country, which has resulted in the loss of travel and immigration benefits for thousands of people.

According to a fact sheet released by the State Department on Monday (August 10), most of the visas were revoked due to criminal activity, as well as visa violations, fraud, incitement to violence and threats to national security.

The large number of visa revocations is a reflection of the sweeping restrictions on immigration that began after Trump returned to the White House last year. During this time, an unprecedented number of immigrants with valid visas have been sent back to their countries.

The State Department said the visas were revoked as part of the State Department’s regular vetting process to ensure that visa holders are complying with the terms of their visas and are not a danger to Americans.

Assault, drunk driving, theft and drug-related offenses are among the leading reasons for visa revocations.

The specific cases cited by the State Department include one man accused of rape and sexual assault, another of kidnapping and human trafficking, and the revocation of a visa for a man facing more than a dozen charges for possessing child sexual abuse materials.

In addition, a U.S. embassy in North Africa has revoked more than 100 “birth tourist” visas. The parents are accused of coming to the United States to give birth to their children so that they can become U.S. citizens.

The statement said the visas of several foreign nationals who cheered on the killing of Charlie Kirk were also revoked. One of them commented that Democrats should not complain about the death of fascists, and another said that he should have died earlier. It is worth noting that Charlie Kirk was a popular conservative activist who was murdered last year.

The State Department said that the Trump administration will continue to identify and investigate foreign nationals who are considered a threat to US security or national security.

Stating that obtaining a US visa is a privilege, not a right, the State Department also said that they will continue to use all legal powers to revoke the visas of those who abuse this privilege.

Earlier, in January, the State Department said that they had revoked more than 100,000 visas, which was a record at the time.

In addition, the administration has adopted a stricter policy in issuing visas, which has included strict monitoring of social media and extensive vetting.

However, rights activists and human rights experts have strongly condemned the Trump administration's social media surveillance. They say it is a threat to freedom of speech and a form of surveillance that amounts to the deliberate segregation of migrants.

Source: Al Jazeera