[REVISION HISTORY]

U.S. visa revocation and immigration enforcement

Updated 17 times since CLSTR started tracking revisions of this situation.

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2026-10-24 05:06 UTC → 2026-10-26 23:14 UTC · added ~~removed~~

Since the start of President Donald Trump’s second term in January 2025, the U.S. Department of State has implemented aggressive immigration enforcement and vetting measures. By late September 2026, the administration reported that it had revoked over 250,000 visas, targeting individuals who violated visa terms, committed crimes, engaged in fraud, or posed national security risks. Specific reasons cited include assault, theft, drug offenses, and the incitement of violence against Americans. The crackdown also includes 2,300 revocations linked to ‘birth tourism,’ which State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott described as a “historic milestone” reflecting the policies of President Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Enforcement has expanded to include the revocation of visas for 27 officials and their families from Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru due to corruption allegations. The administration is also intensifying scrutiny on foreign scholars and students in sensitive technology sectors, such as AI and semiconductors. However, legal challenges have emerged; a federal judge in Massachusetts has ordered the administration to provide arguments by October 9, 2026, regarding proposed restrictions on student (F and J) and journalist (I) visas, after previously describing the administration's justifications as “exceptionally weak.” Regarding deportations, a report by the Migration Policy Institute (MPI) indicates that the United States oversaw approximately 980,000 deportations during the first 18 months of the second term, spanning January 20, 2025, to July 31, 2026. The analysis, conducted by former DHS official Marc Rosenblum using FOIA-obtained data, notes that the current deportation pace remains below the administration’s stated goal of one million people per year. Of these deportations, approximately 69% involved individuals intercepted at the border, while 31%—roughly 300,000 people—were immigrants arrested within the U.S. interior. Only 20% of those deported had criminal convictions.

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