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ADVEReadNOWISEMENT
The Trump administration is reviewing all 55 million people who have valid US visas for potential deportation if violations are found, part of a growing crackdown on foreigners who are permitted to be in the United States.
The State Department said all visa holders, including tourists, are subject to “continuous vetting” for any indication they could be ineligible for permission to enter or stay in the US.
Should such information be found the visa will be revoked and if the visa holder is in the United States, he or she would be subject to deportation. It could mean even those approved to be in the US could abruptly see those permissions revoked.
The State Department said it was looking for indicators of ineligibility, including people staying past the authorised timeframe outlined in a visa, criminal activity, threats to public safety, engaging in any form of terrorist activity or providing support to a terrorist organisation.
Officials say the reviews will include all visa holders’ social media accounts, law enforcement and immigration records in their home countries, along with any actionable violations of US law committed while they were in the United States.
The administration has steadily imposed more restrictions and requirements on visa applicants, including requiring them to submit to in-person interviews.
The review of all visa holders appears to be a significant expansion of what had initially been a process focused mainly on students who have been involved in what the government perceives as pro-Palestine or anti-Israel activity.
The Trump administration has accused students and universities who participate in protests in support of Palestinian rights and against Israel’s military assault on Gaza, of antisemitism and support for terrorism, charges denied by the activists.
Earlier this week, the department said that since Trump returned to the White House, it has revoked more than 6,000 student visas for overstays and violations of local, state and federal law, the vast majority of which were assault, driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs and support for terrorism.
It said about 4,000 of those 6,000 were due to actual infractions of laws and that approximately 200 to 300 visas were revoked for terrorism-related issues, including what the White House considers support for designated terrorist organisations or state sponsors of terrorism.