Trump administration reviews all 55 million US visa holders

The Trump administration said on Thursday it is reviewing more than 55 million people who have valid US visas for any violations that could lead to deportation, part of a growing crackdown on foreigners who are permitted to be in the United States.

In a written answer to a question from The Associated Press, the State Department said all US visa holders, which can include tourists from many countries, are subject to “continuous vetting,” with an eye towards any indication they could be ineligible for permission to enter or stay in the United States.

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.

Since President Donald Trump took office, his administration has focused on deporting illegal migrants from the United States as well as holders of student and visitor exchange visas.

Federal agents check identity documents of people to be detained while waiting outside a courtroom at New York Federal Plaza Immigration Court in the Jacob K. Javits Federal Building, New York City. AFP

The State Department’s new language suggests that the continual vetting process, which officials acknowledge is time-consuming, is far more widespread and could mean even those approved to be in the US could abruptly see those permissions revoked.

There were 12.8 million green-card holders and 3.6 million people in the US on temporary visas last year, according to the Department of Homeland Security.

The 55 million figure suggests that some people subject to review would currently be outside the United States with multiple-entry tourist visas, said Julia Gelatt, associate director of the US immigration policy programme at the Migration Policy Institute.

She questioned the value of spending resources on people who may never return to the United States.

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.

“We review all available information as part of our vetting, including law enforcement or immigration records or any other information that comes to light after visa issuance indicating a potential ineligibility,” the department said.

A woman and her child walk through a group of masked federal agents patrolling outside a courtroom after her hearing at New York Federal Plaza Immigration Court in the Jacob K. Javits Federal Building, New York City. AFP

The US also will stop issuing worker visas for commercial truck drivers, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Thursday on X. He said the change was effective immediately.

“The increasing number of foreign drivers operating large tractor-trailer trucks on US roads is endangering American lives and undercutting the livelihoods of American truckers,” Rubio posted.

The Trump administration in the past months has taken steps to enforce the requirement that truckers speak and read English proficiently. The Transportation Department said the aim is to improve road safety following incidents in which drivers’ ability to read signs or speak English may have contributed to traffic deaths.

The State Department said later on Thursday it was pausing the processing of these work visas to review its “screening and vetting protocols.”

The distraught wife and crying children of a man detained by federal agents roam outside the courtroom where his hearing took place at the New York Federal Plaza Immigration Court in the Jacob K. Javits Federal Building, New York City. AFP

“Ensuring that every driver on our roads meets the highest standards is important to protecting the livelihoods of American truckers and maintaining a secure, resilient supply chain,” the department said.

Edward Alden, senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, said foreign workers have helped address a labour shortage of commercial truck drivers.

“This action should be seen as part of a concerted effort by the administration to discourage American companies and other institutions like universities and hospitals from hiring and retaining foreign workers,” Alden wrote in an email.

“The goal here is not to target specific classes of workers, but to send the message to American employers that they are at risk if they are employing foreign workers. The economic consequences will be far larger than just visas being stripped from foreign workers in a few job categories.”

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-Palestinian or anti-Israel activity.

Associated Press