The Trump administration is reviewing the visas of all 55 million foreigners who currently hold one, as first reported by The Associated Press. The move marks a major escalation of efforts to limit who can enter the United States.
What are they looking for?
A State Department official told The Washington Post Thursday that “continuous vetting” will enable the department to revoke visas for “things like any indicators of overstays, criminal activity, threats to public safety, engaging in any form of terrorist activity, or providing support to a terrorist organization.”
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The State Department issued nearly 11 million temporary visas during the 2024 fiscal year. Those figures do not include so-called “green cards,” and The Post reports that 77% of visas were for business or tourism. Around 7% were reportedly issued to students or those visiting for academic purposes and their families.
Change comes amid new rules
The Trump administration has also initiated rules, including the review of social media accounts for “anti-American activity” and antisemitism among visa applicants.
One senior official at the State Department, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, told The Post that the additional steps would likely add more time to the review process but said, “Time is not my concern, the security of Americans is.”
Concerns raised
Immigration advocates have also raised concerns the new vetting is policing free speech and argue that review measures already consist of criminal background checks.
David J. Bier, the director of policy at the Cato Institute, a libertarian group, told The Post that it appears the White House wants to “proactively conduct reviews of social media posts and revoke visas based not on conduct but speech.”
He added, “I doubt that’s feasible for everyone, but I suspect that these reviews will be done in a discriminatory manner targeting immigrants with certain backgrounds and in certain visa categories or specific people they want an excuse to revoke.”
Prior measures to enhance screenings
As Straight Arrow News reported Wednesday, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced that it has updated its rules to look for “anti-American activity” among visa and green card applicants while screening their social media accounts.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio also said on Thursday that the administration halted the issuance of visas to commercial truck drivers. This move comes after the deadly crash involving a semitruck driver, who authorities said attempted to make an illegal U-turn in Florida. Trump administration officials said the driver, who is an Indian national, was in the country illegally. After claiming fear of returning to India, Harjinder Singh was granted asylum and later given work authorization under the Biden administration.
