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US visa revocations hit 175,000, on pace for new record under Trump
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Han Liin WashingtonandLucy Quagginin New YorkPublished: 5:45am, 11 Aug 2026Updated: 5:54am, 11 Aug 2026
The Trump administration is on pace to revoke a record number of visas this year, the State Department said on Monday, as it disclosed that more than 175,000 had been revoked since US President Donald Trump returned to office.
The visas were revoked from foreign nationals who “violated the terms of their visas, committed crimes, called for violence against US citizens, defrauded Americans, abused our immigration system, or endangered national security”, according to the State Department.
A State Department spokesperson told the South China Morning Post that more than 100,000 visas were revoked in 2025 – the highest annual number on record – and that the department was on pace to exceed that figure in 2026.
That indicates at least 75,000 additional visas have been revoked this year, although the department did not provide an exact 2026 tally or a breakdown by visa category or nationality.
The spokesperson said each revocation decision was made on a case-by-case basis, according to the facts of the individual case.
The official announcement did not provide a breakdown of the revocations by visa type or country of nationality, instead referring broadly to foreign nationals and highlighting cases involving nationals from North African countries, as well as deportable cases involving Iranian, Kuwaiti, Cuban and Laotian nationals.
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