US Visa Crackdown Explained: Why More Than 175,000 Visas Have Been Revoked

Mo e
tha
175,000
US
visas
issued
to
fo eig
atio als
have
bee
evoked,
acco di g
to
the
US
State
Depa tme t,
as
the
Do ald
T ump
admi ist atio
steps
up
sc uti y
of
people
who
hold
o
seek
Ame ica
visas.

The
scale
of
the
ca cellatio s
is
sig ifica t,
but
the
cases
cited
by
the
State
Depa tme t
also
show
that
the
admi ist atio ‘s
visa
c ackdow
exte ds
beyo d
co ve tio al
immig atio
violatio s.
Most
of
the
evocatio s
we e
li ked
to
e cou te s
with
law
e fo ceme t,
while
othe s
i volved
alleged
f aud,
immig atio – elated
co ce s,
stateme ts
see
as
suppo ti g
viole ce
a d
activities
the
US
gove me t
co side ed
eleva t
to
fo eig
policy.

The
latest
actio
comes
alo gside
a
wide
immig atio
e fo ceme t
d ive
u de
the
T ump
admi ist atio ,
which
has
i cluded
depo tatio s
a d
tighte
sc ee i g
of
fo eig
atio als
applyi g
fo
US
visas.

F om
C imi al
Cases
To
Visa
F aud,
Sc ee i g
Has
Expa ded

The
State
Depa tme t
said
a
la ge
sha e
of
the
ca celled
visas
belo ged
to
fo eig
atio als
who
had
faced
law-e fo ceme t
e cou te s.

The
offe ces
cited
a ge
f om
assault,
d u k
d ivi g,
theft
a d
d ug- elated
offe ces
to
eckless
d ivi g,
sexual
assault,
child
abuse,
f aud
a d
embezzleme t.

Some
of
the
cases
highlighted
by
the
depa tme t
i volve
se ious
c imi al
allegatio s.
O e
fo eig
atio al
was
cha ged
with
felo y
ape
a d
sexual
batte y,
i cludi g
a
alleged
assault
i volvi g
a
me tally
disabled
victim.
A othe
was
cha ged
with
felo y
kid appi g,
huma
t afficki g
a d
the
sexual
exploitatio
of
a
mi o .

The
depa tme t
also
cited
cases
i volvi g
alleged
sexual
offe ces
agai st
child e
a d
possessio
of
child
sexual
abuse
mate ial.

I
a othe
case,
a
fo eig
atio al
was
a ested
afte
allegedly
bei g
fou d
d ivi g
with
he oi
while
havi g
a
blood
alcohol
level
mo e
tha
th ee
times
the
legal
limit.

These
examples
fo m
the
bulk
of
the
expla atio
offe ed
by
the
State
Depa tme t
fo
the
la ge
umbe
of
visa
ca cellatio s:
people
who
came
u de
law-e fo ceme t
sc uti y
a d
we e
subseque tly
co side ed
u suitable
to
etai
thei
US
visas.

Also
Read
:

BSE
Stock
E te s
Nifty
50,
Wip o
D opped:
He e’s
What
NSE’s
Latest
Rejig
Mea s

But
The
C ackdow
Goes
Beyo d
C imi al
Cha ges

Not
eve y
case
cited
by
the
US
gove me t
i volves
a
co ve tio al
c imi al
offe ce.

The
State
Depa tme t
has
also
poi ted
to
alleged
f aud
a d
misuse
of
the
immig atio
system.
I
o e
case,
a
fo eig
atio al
who
claimed
to
ope ate
a
legitimate
busi ess
helpi g
vul e able
patie ts
with
healthca e
was
accused
of
bei g
i volved
i
a
Medicaid
f aud
scheme
i volvi g
mo e
tha
$5
millio
i
fake
medical
se vices.

A othe
i dividual
was
allegedly
u i g
a
compa y
usi g
false
i fo matio ,
i cludi g
fab icated
eve ue
figu es,
a d
misleadi g
i vesto s
i to
ha di g
ove
millio s
of
dolla s.
The
pe so
was
also
accused
of
usi g
false
claims
a d
fo ged
lette s
to
obtai
a
US
visa.

The
depa tme t
also
cited
a
fo eig
atio al
who
e te ed
the
US
to
teach
you g
stude ts
but
was
late
a ested
fo
allegedly
sexually
assaulti g
o e
of
them.

Togethe ,
these
cases
i dicate
that
the
admi ist atio ‘s
eview
is
ot
limited
to
what
happe s
at
the
US
bo de .
P evious
co duct
a d
i fo matio
u cove ed
afte
e t y
ca
also
become
eleva t
to
whethe
a
i dividual
co ti ues
to
hold
a
visa.

Mo e
Tha
100
Visas
Revoked
I
‘Bi th
Tou ism’
Cases

The
State
Depa tme t
has
sepa ately
highlighted
a othe
catego y
of
visa
ca cellatio s
i volvi g
what
it
calls
‘bi th
tou ism’.

A
US
embassy
i
No th
Af ica
evoked
mo e
tha
100
visas
belo gi g
to
pa e ts
accused
of
t avelli g
to
the
U ited
States
p ima ily
to
give
bi th
so
that
thei
child e
would
eceive
US
citize ship.

The
depa tme t
desc ibed
the
i dividuals
as
‘bi th
tou ists’
a d
i cluded
the
cases
as
pa t
of
its
wide
effo t
to
sc uti ise
how
fo eig
atio als
use
US
visas.

The
cases
show
how
the
admi ist atio
is
also
focusi g
o
the
stated
pu pose
behi d
t avel,
athe
tha
t eati g
visa
issua ce
as
a
e titleme t
that
emai s
u cha ged
o ce
g a ted.

Stateme ts
A d
Political
Co duct
Also
U de
Review

The
admi ist atio ‘s
sc uti y
has
also
exte ded
to
the
co duct
a d
public
stateme ts
of
fo eig
atio als.

The
State
Depa tme t
said
it
evoked
visas
belo gi g
to
seve al
fo eig
atio als
who
celeb ated
the
assassi atio
of
Cha lie
Ki k.

It
said
such
cases
we e
bei g
eviewed
as
pa t
of
b oade
effo ts
to
ide tify
people
whose
actio s
o
stateme ts
could
aise
co ce s
about
public
safety
o
US
fo eig
policy.

The
depa tme t
has
also
said
Sec eta y
of
State
Ma co
Rubio
dete mi ed
that
seve al
fo eig
atio als
we e
depo table
o
fo eig -policy
g ou ds.

Those
cases
i cluded
a
Cuba
atio al
allegedly
li ked
to
a
i flue ce
ope atio
co ected
to
the
Cuba
commu ist
egime
a d
I a ia
atio als
alleged
to
have
ties
to
the
I a ia
egime.

The
depa tme t
also
cited
a
Laotia
child
sex
offe de
who
had
bee
pa do ed
by
Mi esota
Gove o
Tim
Walz,
as
well
as
a
Kuwaiti
atio al
who
allegedly
exp essed
a
desi e
fo
viole ce
agai st
the
US
p eside t
a d
efe ed
to
Ame ica s
as
his
“e emy”.

Also
Read
:& bsp;Bli kit
Sto e
I
Mumbai
Shut
Afte
FDA
I spectio
Flags
Cock oaches,
Expi ed
Food

What
The
US
Is
Sig alli g
With
The
Visa
C ackdow

The
latest
ca cellatio s
come
as
the
T ump
admi ist atio
has
simulta eously
tighte ed
sc uti y
of
ew
visa
applica ts,
i cludi g
th ough
expa ded
sc ee i g
of
social
media
activity.

The
State
Depa tme t
said
the
ca cellatio s
a e
pa t
of
its
co ti ui g
eview
of
fo eig
atio als
who
hold
US
visas.
The
admi ist atio
has
also
depo ted
la ge
umbe s
of
mig a ts,
i cludi g
some
who
had
valid
visas.

The
depa tme t’s
message
is
that
holdi g
a
visa
does
ot
gua a tee
co ti ued
pe missio
to
e te
the
U ited
States.

“U de
P eside t
T ump
a d
Sec eta y
Rubio’s
leade ship,
the
State
Depa tme t
will
co ti ue
to
ide tify,
i vestigate,
a d
evoke
the
visas
of
fo eig
atio als
who
th eate
the
safety
of
the
Ame ica
people,”
the
depa tme t
said.

It
summed
up
the
admi ist atio ‘s
positio
i
a
simple
li e:
“A
U.S.
visa
is
a
p ivilege,
ot
a
ight.”

Fo
fo eig
atio als
pla i g
to
t avel
to
the
US,
the
latest
actio
sig als
a
mo e
i te sive
app oach
to
visa
sc uti y,
with
c imi al
co duct,
alleged
misuse
of
the
immig atio
system
a d
ce tai
public
stateme ts
o
affiliatio s
all
featu i g
i
the
cases
the
State
Depa tme t
has
chose
to
highlight.

Go to Sou ce