President Donald Trump’s administration revoked roughly 4,000 visas for foreign students over the first 100 days of his second term.
A senior official with the Department of State told the New York Post that 90% of those who had their visas revoked had a “serious” criminal record.
‘We established an action working group, which has resulted in thousands of visas being revoked because these individuals broke our laws.’
The foreign students were accused of a list of illegal offenses, including arson, human trafficking, child endangerment, domestic abuse, robbery, and more.
The news outlet reported that 500 of the individuals were accused of assault.
The senior official told the Post, “They came and they were breaking the law with no consequences.”
The source noted that the administration formed “a special action team” to address the issue. The DOS partnered with the Department of Homeland Security to identify foreign students with criminal records.
The senior official noted that those accused of less serious crimes did not have their visas removed.
“There were cases like where it was not a serious thing, like littering, or somebody had charges that were dropped, where we didn’t revoke those. Because it should be a serious matter,” the official told the Post.
The news outlet reported that many of the foreign students have already left the United States. However, those who remain will soon be targeted by federal immigration officials for deportation.
“Perhaps in the future other visa categories, not just students, will be looked at,” the source added.
An analysis from Inside Higher Ed confirmed from local reports and universities that nearly 1,900 students had lost their legal status.
According to its ongoing tracker, more than 170 foreign students attending the University of Texas System had their visas revoked. Over 100 students attending Arizona State University also had their visas pulled.
The UT System’s vice chancellor of external relations, Randa Safady, stated, “As of Friday, April 11, the UT System learned that 176 students have been affected by the action.”
United Campus Workers of Arizona president Michael Kintscher said, “We’ve been able to confirm a little over 100 students have their visas revoked at ASU specifically, although we believe the number is much higher, that’s just what we’ve been able to confirm so far.”
A senior State Department official told Fox News Digital that Trump has “worked to fix a broken system.”
“Our visa system has lacked oversight and accountability,” the official said. “Secretary [Marco] Rubio has led the State Department to take a surgical vetting approach to ensure individuals in America as visitors are abiding by our laws.”
“We established an action working group, which has resulted in thousands of visas being revoked because these individuals broke our laws. This is what effective governance looks like,” the source added.
A State Department spokesperson told the news outlet that the agency “revokes visas every day in order to secure America’s borders and keep our communities safe – and will continue to do so.”
The spokesperson did not confirm the number of revoked student visas, noting that “the process is ongoing, the number of revocations is dynamic,” and that the agency “generally does not provide statistics on visa revocations.”
“The Trump Administration is focused on protecting our nation and our citizens by upholding the highest standards of national security and public safety through our visa process,” the spokesperson added. “Every prospective traveler to the United States undergoes interagency security vetting. Prohibiting entry to the United States by those who might pose a threat to U.S. national security or public safety is key to protecting U.S. citizens at home. The Department of State will continue to work closely with the Department of Homeland Security to enforce zero tolerance for aliens in the United States who violate U.S. laws, threaten public safety, or in other situations where warranted. ”
The wave of visa revocations stems from Trump’s January executive order pledging to address anti-Semitism by “deport[ing] Hamas sympathizers,” including those holding disruptive and even sometimes violent university protests.
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