A new count from the State Department

The US State Department said on Tuesday, 20 October 2026, that the Trump administration has revoked more than 300,000 visas since January 2025, when Donald Trump began his second term. Spokesman Tommy Pigott announced the figure on X and pointed to a faster pace of revocations. The department's previous update, issued on 10 August, had put the total at more than 175,000. In late September, Pigott told Fox News that about a quarter of a million visas had been cancelled, which places that interim count between the August and October figures. Pigott also said the government would not stop until foreigners who threaten the safety of American communities were held accountable.

Stated reasons and birth tourism cases

A State Department official tied the revocations to criminal activity, threats to public safety and immigration violations such as fraud or false statements. At least 4,000 visas were taken from foreign nationals who took part in or facilitated so-called birth tourism, meaning travel to the United States to give birth. The nationalities of the people whose visas were revoked have not been made clear. Pigott framed the policy in strong terms:

“We have zero tolerance for foreigners here on visas who break the law, commit fraud, or undermine our national security”

The statement suggests the department views the revocations as a continuing effort rather than a completed one.

Criticism from rights advocates

Human rights advocates say the crackdown has violated due process and free speech rights, and has left minority communities feeling unsafe. Members of ethnic minorities have raised concerns about racial profiling. Among the cases advocates condemn most are the revocations of pro-Palestinian foreign protesters who demonstrated against Israel's attacks on Gaza. Foreigners whose social media comments about the 2025 killing of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk led to visa revocations are also cited in their criticism. Rights groups argue the government has used national-security claims to target critics and has used isolated fraud cases to cast a wide net over immigrant communities, such as the Somali-American community in Minnesota. Tighter social media screening of immigrants and visa applicants has drawn similar objections, with critics calling it akin to surveillance.

Wider immigration policy

Trump campaigned in 2024 on stopping illegal immigration. His administration has also made legal immigration harder, for example by imposing expensive fees for certain work visas. The visa revocations sit alongside large-scale detentions and deportations, which Trump says are meant to improve domestic security. The administration has also tightened vetting of visa applicants and expanded screening, and the department said it would keep taking action to secure US borders and protect national security.