The US State Department has revoked more than 6,000 visas issued to international students, citing violations of American law and overstays, the department confirmed to the BBC.
Officials said the majority of the violations included assault, driving under the influence (DUI), burglary, and what they described as “support for terrorism.” The department did not clarify what it meant by that term, but the Trump administration has previously accused some foreign students who participated in pro-Palestinian protests of engaging in antisemitic behavior.
According to the State Department, about 4,000 visas were revoked because of criminal violations, while another 200–300 were canceled under provisions of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) Section 3B, which defines “terrorist activity” as actions that endanger human life or violate US law.
The cancellations come amid the Trump administration’s broader crackdown on immigration and international students. Earlier this year, the administration paused visa appointments for foreign students and, when they resumed in June, introduced enhanced screening measures requiring applicants to disclose their social media accounts.
Officials said the checks were aimed at identifying “any indications of hostility toward the citizens, culture, government, institutions, or founding principles of the United States.” They also directed consular officers to screen for individuals who “advocate for, aid, or support designated foreign terrorists and other threats to national security,” as well as those engaged in “unlawful antisemitic harassment or violence.”
In May, Secretary of State Marco Rubio told lawmakers that “thousands” of student visas had been revoked since January. “I don’t know the latest count, but we probably have more to do,” he said on May 20. “We will continue to cancel the visas of people who are here as guests and disrupting our higher education facilities.”
Democratic lawmakers have criticized the move, describing it as an attack on due process.
The United States hosted more than 1.1 million international students from over 210 countries during the 2023–24 academic year, according to data from Open Doors, an organization that tracks foreign student enrollment.
