On Thursday, the United States Department of State announced its intention to conduct ongoing vetting of over 55 million individuals holding US visas, which includes tourists and students, to identify any violations of state and federal laws.
Should any such violations be discovered, the affected visa will be revoked, as reported by several news outlets, including the Associated Press and the political website The Hill.
In the event that the visa holder is present within the United States, they would face the possibility of deportation, as stated by the department.
The Department indicated that it would be looking for signs of ineligibility, including individuals overstaying their visa duration, engaging in criminal activities, posing threats to public safety, participating in any form of terrorist activity, or providing support to terrorist organizations.
This initiative represents a considerable expansion of the Trump administration's efforts to address undocumented migrants, as well as individuals holding student and visitor exchange visas.
The announcement follows closely on the heels of the Trump administration's declaration that it would assess for "anti-American" sentiments and antisemitism, including content found on social media, during the evaluation of immigration "benefit requests."
A benefit request refers to any determination made by the Department of Homeland Security concerning the status of non-citizens residing in the United States. This can encompass the granting of green cards, re-entry permits, or work permits while living in the country.
Earlier in the week, the State Department disclosed that it has revoked over 6,000 student visas due to overstays and violations since President Donald Trump assumed office in January.
The majority of these revocations were attributed to offenses such as assault, driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, and "support for terrorism."
It is important to note that this figure represents only a small fraction of the total international students currently enrolled or engaged in exchanges within the United States.
While international student enrollment is projected to decline in 2025 as a result of policy changes, approximately 1.6 million foreign students were reported to be studying in the United States in 2024, according to the most recent report from ICE.
Migrant communities within the United States are reportedly living in apprehension of potential ICE raids.
US suspends visas for truck drivers
The US will cease the issuance of work visas for commercial truck drivers, as announced by Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Thursday.
In a statement on X, Rubio indicated that the change is "effective immediately."
"The rising number of foreign drivers operating large tractor-trailer trucks on US highways poses a threat to American lives and undermines the livelihoods of American truckers," Rubio stated.
This suspension follows a highly publicized fatal accident in Florida, which resulted in the deaths of three individuals after a truck driver executed an illegal U-turn.
The truck driver, an Indian national who reportedly does not speak English, is not legally permitted to be in the United States.
The American Trucking Association refuted in March what it termed the "dubious claim" that millions of foreign truck drivers were entering the US, displacing American workers and compromising highway safety.
"The narrative of foreign labor flooding the US trucking industry is unfounded and fails to withstand even minimal scrutiny," the ATA stated in a blog post.
According to data from the National Association of Truckstop Operators, approximately 18% of truck drivers in the US were immigrants in 2021.
