Even foreigners holding valid U.S. visas could be subject to deportation thanks to a new State Department policy under the Trump administration.
The Associated Press reported Thursday that the State Department is reviewing the records of 55 million foreigners who hold visas to see if those residents broke any rules and thus become ineligible to live in the United States.
The department told the AP that visa holders are subject to ‘continuous vetting.’
‘We review all available information as part of our vetting, including law enforcement or immigration records of any other information that comes to light after visa issuance indicating a potential liability,’ the State Department said.
The department told the AP that it is looking for individuals who have overstayed their visas, conducted criminal activity and are threats to public safety.
They mentioned specifically engaging in any form of terrorist activity or providing support to a terrorist organization.
If an infraction is discovered that individual’s visa could be revoked – and they could be deported like the tens of thousands of illegal immigrants who have deported since the advent of the second Trump administration.
The policy shift indicates a major deportation escalation, as visa holders are in the United States legally.
Under President Donald Trump (left) and Secretary of State Marco Rubio (right) the State Department is now combing through 55 million visas, of people in the United States legally, to see if any infractions could lead to deportations of those individuals
President Donald Trump won a second term in office promising the country’s largest mass deportation but his campaign rhetoric focused mainly on migrants coming into the U.S. illegally from the southern border.
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.
Officials say the reviews will include all visa holders’ social media accounts, law enforcement and immigration records in their home countries, along with any actionable violations of U.S. law committed while they were in the United States.
‘As part of the Trump Administration’s commitment to protect U.S. national security and public safety, since Inauguration Day the State Department has revoked more than twice as many visas, including nearly four times as many student visas, as during the same time period last year,’ the State Department said.
The vast majority of foreigners seeking to come to the U.S. require visas, especially those who want to study or work for extended periods.
Among the exceptions for short-term tourist or business visits are citizens of the 40 mainly European and Asian countries belonging to the Visa Waiver Program, which grants those nationals a stay of up to three months without having to apply for a visa.
A protester is arrested in Los Angeles clashing with federal agents over President Donald Trump’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement actions. Trump campaigned on deporting illegal immigrants but people in the U.S. legally are now being scrutinized as well
But large swaths of the world – including highly populated countries like China, India, Indonesia, Russia and most of Africa – are not part of the program, meaning their citizens must apply for and receive visas to travel to the United States.
Earlier this week, the department said that since Trump returned to the White House, it has revoked more than 6,000 student visas for overstays and violations of local, state and federal law.
The vast majority of those were assault, driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs and support for terrorism.
It said about 4,000 of those 6,000 were due to actual infractions of laws and that approximately 200 to 300 visas were revoked for terrorism-related issues, including providing support for designated terrorist organizations or state sponsors of terrorism.
