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State Department Has Revoked Over 175K Visas to Date for Criminals and Others During Trump's 2nd Term

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The U.S. State Department announced Monday that the administration has revoked the visas of over 175,000 individuals since President Donald Trump took office last year.

“Under President Trump, the United States Department of State has revoked more than 175,000 visas from foreign nationals who violated the terms of their visas, committed crimes, called for violence against U.S. citizens, defrauded Americans, abused our immigration system, or endangered national security,” the State Department said in a statement to Fox News.

“The majority of these visas were revoked due to law enforcement encounters for a range of criminal activity, with assault, driving under the influence, theft, and drug crimes being the leading causes. A significant share of visas were revoked for reckless driving, sexual assault, child abuse, fraud and embezzlement, and other crimes,” the department added.

The agency further noted that a U.S. embassy in North Africa revoked over 100 visas for parents who had engaged in “birth tourism,” i.e., people who came to the country primarily to give birth so their children would be American citizens.

In February, Secretary of State Marco Rubio explained at a news conference in Hungary, “I’ve said this repeatedly. I don’t know why it’s so hard for some to comprehend it, so let me repeate it again. A visa — no one is entitled to a visa. There is no constitutional right to a visa.”

Do you approve of Trump's immigration policies?

“A visa is permission to enter our country as a visitor. … If you enter our country as a visitor, as a visitor in our country — be it a student, a tourist, a journalist, whatever you want to be — and you undertake activities that are against the national interest, the national security of the United States, we will take away your visa,” he continued.

“In fact, if we knew you were going to do it, we probably wouldn’t have given you your visa,” Rubio said.

The announcement regarding the number of revoked visas to date comes after President Trump signed two executive orders Thursday that take another pass at reining in birthright citizenship, including banning “birth tourism.”

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In June, the Supreme Court, in a 6-3 ruling, took an expansive view of the 14th Amendment’s language, which provides, “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.”

The president pointed to the language that children must be born to parents “subject to the jurisdiction” of the U.S. (i.e., not citizens of foreign nations in the country illegally) for their children to be American citizens.

The majority of the Supreme Court held otherwise and struck down Trump’s executive order.

Trump told reporters Thursday at the White House that the court’s ruling was a “very, very unfortunate decision, so we’re making adjustments.”

One of Trump’s orders specifically denies citizenship to children of parents who participated in “birth tourism” schemes.

“Birth tourism operators use deceptive advertisements and inducements to entice foreign nationals to travel to the United States for the purpose of giving birth on American soil,” the order states.

“The immigration laws of the United States establish discrete categories of temporary nonimmigrant visas to allow foreign visitors into the United States for study, exchange, temporary employment, tourism, and other transitory activities that are now exploited by birth tourism operators.”

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Randy DeSoto has written more than 4,000 articles for The Western Journal since he began with the company in 2015. He is a graduate of West Point and Regent University School of Law. He is the author of the book "We Hold These Truths" and screenwriter of the political documentary "I Want Your Money."
Randy DeSoto wrote and was the assistant producer of the documentary film "I Want Your Money" about the perils of Big Government, comparing the presidencies of Ronald Reagan and Barack Obama. Randy is the author of the book "We Hold These Truths," which addresses how leaders have appealed to beliefs found in the Declaration of Independence at defining moments in our nation's history. He has been published in several political sites and newspapers.

Randy graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point with a BS in political science and Regent University School of Law with a juris doctorate.
Birthplace
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Nationality
American
Honors/Awards
Graduated dean's list from West Point
Education
United States Military Academy at West Point, Regent University School of Law
Books Written
We Hold These Truths
Professional Memberships
Virginia and Pennsylvania state bars
Location
Phoenix, Arizona
Languages Spoken
English
Topics of Expertise
Politics, Entertainment, Faith




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