LEGAL migrants in the US who hold visas to live and work in the country are subject to continuous review, especially students, the State Department cautioned on Thursday (21).
There are 55 million foreigners with valid documents to live in the US.
“The State Department revokes visas any time there are indications of a potential ineligibility, which includes things like any indicators of overstays, criminal activity, threats to public safety, engaging in any form of terrorist activity or providing support to a terrorist organization,” a State Department official said.
“The Department's continuous vetting includes all of the more than 55 million foreigners who currently hold valid US visas," the official added.
Speaking on customary condition of anonymity, the official said that administration of president Donald Trump has increased scrutiny, in particular, for students.
The State Department previously said it had revoked 6,000 visas since secretary of state Marco Rubio took office in January with Trump.
That figure marks four times as many student visas as president Joe Biden's administration revoked in the same period the previous year, according to the State Department.
Rubio has argued that the administration has the right to issue and revoke visas without judicial review and that non-US citizens do not enjoy the US constitutional right to free speech.
