US will review 55 million visa holders for potential violations

The US is reviewing the records of more than 55 million US visa holders to assess if they have broken conditions for entry or stay in the country.

People with US visas will be under “continuous vetting”, a state department spokesperson told the Associated Press news agency.

Visas will be revoked if there are indications of “overstays, criminal activity, threats to public safety, engaging in any form of terrorist activity, or providing support to a terrorist organisation”, an official said.

President Donald Trump has made anti-immigration the cornerstone of his second administration, from mass deportations and full-on travel bans on countries to revoking 6,000 student visas.

As part of the wide-ranging review, prospective students and visitors to the US will be subjected to social media vetting with officials looking for “any indications of hostility toward the citizens, culture, government, institutions, or founding principles of the United States”.

State Department officers have also been instructed to spot individuals “who advocate for, aid, or support designated foreign terrorists and other threats to national security; or who perpetrate unlawful antisemitic harassment or violence”.

Matthew Tragesser, a spokesperson from US Citizenship and Immigration Services, said in a statement: “America’s benefits should not be given to those who despise the country and promote anti-American ideologies.”

He added that the immigration service was committed to “implementing policies” that “root out anti-Americanism”.

The latest announcement came after Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the US would “immediately” pause the issuance of worker visas for truck drivers.

“The increasing number of foreign drivers operating large tractor-trailer trucks on U.S. roads is endangering American lives and undercutting the livelihoods of American truckers,” Rubio wrote in a post on X on Thursday.

Since Trump came to power in January, several foreign students have been arrested at US university campuses for taking part in protests against the conduct of the war in the Gaza Strip by Israel – which is supported by the US.

A few weeks ago, the US announced that citizens from Malawi and Zambia would be required to pay a $15,000 (£11,300) deposit for a tourist or business visa.

Trump has also banned foreign nationals from 12 countries from travelling to the US and imposed partial restrictions on another seven.

In May, the Trump’s administration was allowed to temporarily revoke the legal status of over 500,000 migrants living in the US. He has even vowed to end birth right citizenship.