The Trump administration have announced that they will be conducting a review into all 55 million US visa holders to check whether they have committed any offences which warrant deportation.
The State Department announced on Thursday that any US visa holders discovered with “indicators of overstays, criminal activity, threats to public safety, engaging in any form of terrorist activity, or providing support to a terrorist organisation” would have their right to stay revoked.
The Trump administration have announced that they will be conducting a review into all 55 million US visa holders
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REUTERSThe State Department added: “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 Trump administration’s announcement comes amid a crackdown on the US visa system, with an intense focus on those who come into the country on student visas.
Over 6,000 students have had their visas revoked since Mr Trump re-entered the White House in January, with two-thirds being attributed to foreign students who had broken the law.
Almost 300 student visas were invalidated due to “support for terrorism”, which the State Department included “raising funds for the militant group Hamas”.
According to the State Department, the “vast majority” of students who had their visas of revoked were for crimes such as assault, burglary and driving under the influence.
An official from the department told Fox News: “Every single student visa revoked under the Trump Administration has happened because the individual has either broken the law or expressed support for terrorism while in the United States.”
The announcement comes after the US recorded its first drop in the immigrant population in half a century.
In January, 53.3 million immigrants were recorded as living in the US, however five months later the Pew Research Centre found the total to be 51.9 million – a drop in 1.4 million.
