Category World News

The State Department in the United States says it has revoked more than 100,000 visas since President Donald Trump returned to office last year, as his administration continues with a hardline crackdown on immigration.

The visa purge includes 8,000 students and 2,500 specialised workers, according to a social media post from the State Department on Monday.

It added that the majority saw their visas withdrawn due to “encounters with US law enforcement for criminal activity”, though it was not clear whether those encounters resulted in charges.

The volume of the revocations reflects the broad nature of the crackdown Trump initiated when he returned to the White House last year. The administration has claimed to have overseen more than 2.5 million voluntary departures and deportations, a “record-breaking achievement”, it said last month.

Some of those deportations, however, have included immigrants who held valid visas, raising questions about due process and human rights.

The administration has also adopted a stricter policy for granting visas, with tightened social media vetting and expanded screening.

“We will continue to deport these thugs to keep America safe,” the State Department said in its post on X.

The four leading causes for visa revocations were overstays, driving under the influence, assault and theft, State Department deputy spokesperson Tommy Pigott said. The revocations marked a 150 percent increase from 2024, he added.

The State Department has also launched a Continuous Vetting Center, aimed at ensuring “all foreign nationals on American soil comply with our laws – and that the visas of those who pose a threat to American citizens are swiftly revoked”, Pigott said.

That centre is part of an overall push to restrict who is allowed into the country. The State Department has ordered US diplomats in general to be vigilant against visa applicants whom Washington may see as hostile to the US or who have a history of political activism.

In November, the State Department said it had revoked about 80,000 non-immigrant visas since Trump’s inauguration, for offences ranging from driving under the influence to assault and theft.

Trump had campaigned for re-election in 2024 on a pledge to oversee the “largest deportation programme of criminals in the history of America”. He was sworn in for a second term on January 20, 2025.

But critics have argued that Trump’s wide-sweeping approach has targeted criminals and non-criminals alike. The Trump administration has also faced scrutiny for appearing to target visa-holders who hold views it disagrees with.

In March, for instance, the Trump administration began a campaign of stripping student protesters involved in pro-Palestinian activism of their visas. One student, Rumeysa Ozturk of Tufts University, appears to have been targeted for writing an editorial in her campus newspaper.

In October, the State Department also announced it had removed visas from six foreign nationals who “celebrated” the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk online.

“The United States has no obligation to host foreigners who wish death on Americans,” the State Department wrote in a social media statement.

Those instances, however, have raised concern about the government violating the First Amendment right to free speech.

There has also been widespread anger in the US about the use of force in the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.

United States President Donald Trump has said that countries that engage in trade with Iran will face a 25 percent tariff on any business done with the US.

Trump announced the decision in a social media post on Monday, stating that it was “final and conclusive”, but offering few additional details.

“Effective immediately, any Country doing business with the Islamic Republic of Iran will pay a Tariff of 25% on any and all business being done with the United States of America,” Trump said in a post on his website, Truth Social.

It is not clear which countries might be affected, but major economies such as Russia, China, Brazil and Turkiye all trade with Iran, which has been roiled by widespread antigovernment protests and riots over the past week.

Iraq and the United Arab Emirates are also important trading partners, according to the database Trading Economics.

In recent weeks, Trump has ratcheted up pressure on Tehran and threatened further military strikes on the country, should it fail to abide by US demands to wind down its nuclear and military programmes.

“Now, I hear that Iran is trying to build up again, and if they are, we’re going to have to knock them down,” Trump told reporters in December. “We’ll knock them down. We’ll knock the hell out of them. But, hopefully, that’s not happening.”

In June, the US bombed three Iranian nuclear facilities as part of a 12-day war initiated by Israel. US strikes on Iran likely constitute a violation of international law, according to legal experts.

“Air strikes would be one of the many, many options that are on the table,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Monday, adding that Trump remains interested in diplomacy, if possible.

Trump has also criticised Iran’s harsh crackdown on antigovernment protesters and warned that any violence could also lead to a US strike.

In a January 2 post on Truth Social, the US president indicated he would consider taking military action should protesters be killed.

“If Iran shots [sic] and violently kills peaceful protesters, which is their custom, the United States of America will come to their rescue. We are locked and loaded and ready to go,” he wrote.

The threat came one day before the US launched a military attack in Venezuela, which resulted in the abduction of President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores.

The administration of United States President Donald Trump has continued to threaten Iran with military attacks, saying that air strikes are one of “many options” being explored as widespread protests put the Iranian government under growing pressure.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Monday that diplomacy is “always the first option” but that military attacks are “on the table”.

“One thing President Trump is very good at is always keeping all of his options on the table. And air strikes would be one of the many, many options that are on the table for the commander in chief,” Leavitt told reporters.

Large-scale protests and riots have roiled Iran, with security forces responding with a lethal crackdown over the last several days that is estimated to have killed hundreds of people. Iranian authorities have said that scores of security personnel have also been killed in the riots.

Opposition activists say the death toll is higher and includes hundreds of protesters. Al Jazeera cannot independently verify these figures. Details have been difficult to verify amid an internet blackout.

Trump, who bombed Iranian nuclear facilities in June and has previously threatened Tehran with further strikes if it does not come into greater alignment with US demands, had used the government’s harsh crackdown on protesters as a pretext for further military attacks against the longtime US foe.

A US strike on Iran would likely violate international law, and Trump has frequently threatened countries that defy his will with possible military strikes.

The Wall Street Journal reported on Monday that some members of the Trump administration such as Vice President JD Vance are urging Trump to consider renewed diplomatic efforts with Tehran or other less severe alternatives to US strikes, citing unnamed US officials. The US president said on Sunday that Iran had “called” and wanted to “negotiate”.

“What you’re hearing publicly from the Iranian regime is quite different from the messages the administration is receiving privately,” Leavitt said.