The Trump administration is reviewing the records of each individual holding a valid U.S. visa. The State Department told the Associated Press that all visa holders are subject to “continuous vetting.”
“We review all available information as part of our vetting, including law enforcement or immigration records or any other information that comes to light after visa issuance indicating a potential ineligibility,” the department told the outlet,” adding, “As part of the Trump Administration’s commitment to protect U.S. national security and public safety, since Inauguration Day the State Department has revoked more than twice as many visas, including nearly four times as many student visas, as during the same time period last year.”
Indicators of ineligibility include visa overstays, criminal activity, public safety threats, potential terrorist activity, or supporting terrorist organizations.
The U.S. State Department has implemented sweeping crackdowns on visas for several groups, including Chinese students and foreign nationals engaged in censorship activities.
“Under President Trump’s leadership, the U.S. State Department will work with the Department of Homeland Security to aggressively revoke visas for Chinese students, including those with connections to the Chinese Communist Party or studying in critical fields. We will also revise visa criteria to enhance scrutiny of all future visa applications from the People’s Republic of China and Hong Kong,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a May statement.
Discussing the previous censorship-related visa restrictions, Rubio said, “In some instances, foreign officials have taken flagrant censorship actions against U.S. tech companies and U.S. citizens and residents when they have no authority to do so,” adding that it is “unacceptable” for foreign officials to threaten U.S. citizens or residents for posts made on American platforms on American soil.
