The Trump Administration has revoked 85,000 visas to foreign citizensincluding 8,000 international students, the United States Department of State informed the press this Monday.
An official from said agency assured that the number of canceled visas is more than double that registered the previous year, under the Government of Joe Biden, although he did not specify the exact number, according to EFE.
Among the reasons that led to the revocation are “driving under the influence of alcohol”, “assaults and robberies”, causes that together represent almost half of last year’s annulments.
“These people represent a direct threat to the security of our communities and we do not want them to remain in our country,” the official said. But drastically reducing immigration has been one of Trump’s main goals since he took office last January.
The US reduces the validity of work permits for broad categories of immigrants to 18 months
The State Department, according to this source, also withdrew visas from hundreds of students who participated last year in university protests against the Israeli offensive in the Gaza Strip.
The Administration has established stricter evaluation processes for obtaining some visas, including tracking activity on social networks, the source points out.
The official confirmed that having worked on verification platforms to combat disinformation or content moderation may constitute a reason for denial, since the Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, instructed last May to prohibit entry into the country to those who “censor Americans.”
