WASHINGTON, August 11. /Dunyo IA/. The U.S. Department of State has reported that, under the administration of President Donald Trump, more than 175,000 visas held by foreign nationals have been revoked, reports Dunyo IA correspondent.

According to a fact sheet published by the State Department yesterday, the majority of visa revocations were related to law enforcement encounters involving criminal activity. Other leading reasons for visa revocations included violations of the terms of visas, fraud, calls for violence and other actions that the Department considers to pose a threat to national security.

Scale of the visa revocations has become part of the Trump administration’s broader immigration campaign, which began after his return to the White House last year. As part of this policy, an unprecedented number of migrants have been deported from the United States, including some holders of valid visas.

The State Department said that visa revocations are carried out as part of its continuous vetting operations. According to the Department, these checks are intended to ensure that foreign nationals abide by the terms of their visas and do not pose a danger to Americans.

Among the most common grounds for visa revocations, the Department cited charges involving assault, driving under the influence, theft and drug crimes.

As specific examples, the State Department cited cases involving foreign nationals charged with rape and sexual assault, kidnapping and human trafficking, as well as possessing child sexual abuse material in more than a dozen instances.

The State Department said the administration will continue to identify and investigate cases involving foreign nationals whom the authorities consider to pose a threat to the security of the United States or national security.

“A U.S. visa is a privilege, not a right”, Department emphasized, adding that it will continue to use the authorities available to it to revoke visas from those who abuse this privilege.

In January, the State Department reported the revocation of more than 100,000 visas, which at the time was a record figure. At the same time, the U.S. administration tightened visa issuance rules, expanding social media screening and strengthening vetting procedures.

Photo by “Reuters”