The Trump administration has revoked the US visas of more than 4,000 international students during its first 100 days in office in a forceful demonstration of its immigration agenda.
Out of these, most are linked to criminal conduct ranging from assault and robbery to trafficking and child endangerment.
This marks one of the most aggressive student visa crackdowns in US history and further sends a clear message from the Trump White House regarding the zero tolerance for foreign nationals breaking US law or disrupting public order.
Explaining the situation, one of the senior State Department officials said, “they came and they were breaking the law with no consequences,” during a media interaction.
Further adding, “We set up a special action team to handle this.”
Visa Revocation Triggered By Crime
The officials claimed that more than 90% of the students whose visas were cancelled had criminal records, according to officials.
Their list of offences included many activities such as Arson, Domestic abuse, Child endangerment, Wildlife and human trafficking, DUI, Robbery.
According to the administration they limited revocations to “serious” cases only.
They have excluded the misdemeanors like littering or charges from the operation.
It appears that the data was collected through coordination between the State Department and the Department of Homeland Security.
They have used the law enforcement databases to flag student visa holders with open or resolved criminal charges.
Student Visa Is A Privilege, Not A Right
So far, the Secretary of State Marco Rubio, led the administration’s visa enforcement efforts.
He has tied the visa revocations to broader national security and ideological concerns—including growing unrest on college campuses.
Further adding, “No one’s entitled to a student visa,” during a recent cabinet meeting.
“If you come to this country as a student, we expect you to go to class and study and get a degree. If you come here to vandalize a library, take over a campus, and do all kinds of crazy things, we’re going to get rid of these people,” Rubio said.
Moving ahead, he pointed to anti-Israel protests at universities, involving several international students, under the administration’s motivation for tighter scrutiny.
Anxiety Among Tourists and Students
In future they are planning to target more visa categories while having the focus on students.
The other visa categories may also come under review as indicated by a State Department source.
One of the officials said, “Perhaps in the future other visa categories, not just students, will be looked at.”
These actions seem to be aligned with other steps the Trump administration has taken in its first 100 days regarding the tightened immigration controls.
Be it birthright citizenship challenges in court to expand ICE raids or the entry bans on certain nationalities.
The visa revocation campaign has swept up individuals who were never convicted or had pending cases later dismissed as argued by some of the immigration lawyers.
Further arguing that such actions risk undermining due process and US higher education’s international reputation.
In the meantime, the reports of visa denials, secondary screenings, and detentions at American airports are rising.
It is causing anxiety among tourists and students alike.
On the other hand, universities also raised concerns over the impact on international enrollment and campus diversity.
