The Trump administration has revoked 85,000 visas from foreign nationals this year, including 8,000 student visas, the U.S. State Department announced to the press on Monday. A senior official from the department stated that the number of visas canceled is more than double that of the previous year under the Biden administration, though they did not provide the exact figure. Among the reasons for the revocations are driving under the influence of alcohol, as well as assaults and robberies, which together account for nearly half of last year's cancellations. "These individuals represent a direct threat to the safety of our communities, and we do not want them to remain in our country," the official stated. Drastically reducing immigration has been one of Trump's primary goals since he took office in January of last year. The State Department also revoked visas from hundreds of students who participated in university protests last year against the Israeli offensive in the Gaza Strip. The administration has also implemented stricter evaluation processes for obtaining certain visas, including tracking social media activity. The official confirmed that having worked on fact-checking platforms to combat misinformation or content moderation can be grounds for denial, as Secretary of State Marco Rubio instructed last May to ban entry to the country for those who "censor Americans." "When determining if an applicant qualifies for a visa, consular officers consider not just one factor, but the totality of their circumstances," the official clarified.
