The State Department on Tuesday announced that they have cancelled over 85,000 visas since January 2025.
During an interview with CNN, a senior official talks about how more than 8,000 of these cancelled visas belonged to students who came to America to study. This number surprised many people who follow immigration policy closely.
The official explained that about half of all visa cancellations in the past year were linked to criminal activities. People lost their visas because they were caught drunk driving, stealing things, or getting into physical fights. These violations gave authorities reason to take away their permission to stay in the country.
However, the official did not explain why the other half of visas were cancelled in 2025. This left many questions unanswered about what other reasons might have led to so many people losing their right to be in America.
The State Department has mentioned in past announcements that visas can be cancelled for different reasons. Sometimes it happens simply because a visa has expired and needs renewal. Other times it involves much more serious issues like suspected connections to terrorism or extremist activities.
Back in October, some people had their visas revoked after they celebrated when conservative activist Charlie Kirk was killed. The government saw this as crossing a line and took action against those individuals.
Students from other countries have been getting extra attention from authorities lately. Those who joined protests about the situation in Gaza found themselves being watched more closely. Officials admitted this was happening but did not share exact numbers about how many students were affected.
The post on X included a picture of President Trump with words saying “Make America Safe Again” written across it. This slogan tells people that the White House believes controlling who enters the country is important for keeping Americans protected.
The message made it clear that both President Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio support these visa cancellations. They follow what they call a simple rule, and the post said they have no plans to slow down anytime soon.
This whole effort is part of a bigger plan that started back in August. That’s when the State Department said it would create a system to constantly check on foreigners in America. More than 55 million people who come to the United States would be part of this monitoring program.
The new system works differently than before. In the past, people were only checked when they first arrived or when they needed to renew their paperwork. Now the government keeps watching them the entire time they stay in the country.
Since Trump started his second time as president, the department has changed how it looks at visa applications. They now check more things and keep closer track of people who already received permission to be here.
The administration has also made it harder to get H1B visas. These visas allow American companies to hire workers from other countries who have special skills. Many people from India use this type of visa to work in the United States at technology companies and other businesses.
The State Department’s announcement shows that immigration enforcement has become much stricter. Whether you are a student, a worker, or visiting for other reasons, the government is now paying closer attention to what you do while in America. One mistake could mean losing the right to stay.
