A State Department statement on Thursday saying that all holders of valid U.S. visas would be subject to “continuous vetting” sounded like a dire warning to the more than 55 million foreign nationals who have permission to be in the United States.
But with few details about how the department plans to execute the effort, it was unclear if the pronouncement heralded a drastic culling of travel documents and acceleration in deportations, or something less.
The federal government has long had broad power to revoke visas — and the Trump administration increasingly has been using it.
Since his return to office, President Trump has made immigration enforcement a top priority, expanding efforts to remove not only people in the United States without legal authorization, but also visa holders, including thousands of students whom the State Department said had “either broken the law or expressed support for terrorism” while in the country.
Critics have accused Mr. Trump’s team of targeting visa holders in a haphazard and politically self-serving fashion, relying on what they argue are error-ridden databases to determine who has committed infractions serious enough to put their visas in jeopardy. In interviews, some expressed concern that millions could be unjustly affected if the State Department used such procedures across the entire visa system.
In an emailed statement, the State Department defended its practices, arguing that it “revokes visas any time there are indications of a potential ineligibility,” and that officials “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.”
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