Trump Administration Highlights Visa Revocations as National Security Measure
- The Trump administration is pushing visa revocations as a national security measure, targeting foreign nationals who commit crimes, including drunk driving
- Officials say more than 100,000 visas were revoked in 2025, with many linked to criminal activity and public safety concerns
- A tragic case in Oklahoma, where a drunk-driving crash killed four young people, has intensified focus on the administration’s tough visa enforcement policy
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The Trump administration has emphasised that visa revocations are a key part of its national security strategy.
Officials argue that removing foreign nationals who commit crimes, including drink-driving offences, is essential to safeguarding the American public.
Source: Getty Images
“Every visa decision is a national security decision,” State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott told Fox News Digital. “Of course, when we think of border security, we think about the Southwest border, but visa security is border security. It’s who we’re allowing into the country legally, and if they operate in a way that is grounds for revocation, we’re going to protect the American people.”
Record Number of Visas Revoked in 2025
In January, the administration announced that more than 100,000 visas had been revoked in 2025 — more than double the number revoked during President Joe Biden’s final year in office. While many of these revocations were due to overstays, Pigott noted that a significant number were linked to criminal activity, particularly drunk driving arrests.
“Fundamentally, if you break the law, that is grounds for revocation,” Pigott said.
Drunk Driving Cases Prompt Visa Action
Pigott cited recent examples of visa revocations involving DUI offences, including a foreign national who injured someone while driving drunk and another who arrived intoxicated at a court-mandated DUI programme.
“Driving drunk on streets is incredibly dangerous,” Pigott explained. “It’s part of a broader initiative from the Trump administration to make sure that our streets are safe. And that includes illegal immigrant drivers, that includes foreigners here on visas that are driving drunk on our streets. We’re not going to tolerate that. We are going to protect the Americans.”
Oklahoma Tragedy Sparks Outrage
In May, Oklahoma authorities charged 27-year-old Michael Rosario-Cruz, who was living in the U.S. under DACA protections, with four counts of second-degree murder. He allegedly drove drunk the wrong way and crashed into another vehicle, killing four young people aged between 18 and 20. Authorities reported finding empty beer bottles in his car.
“These young men and women had their whole lives ahead of them. This tragedy was completely preventable,” DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin said. “This illegal alien should has never been in our country. Join me in praying for the families, friends, and loved ones of these victims.”
Rosario-Cruz is currently being held at Canadian County jail in Oklahoma, with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) placing a detainer on him.
Visa Revocation Process Explained
Pigott clarified that revoking a visa is only the first step in removing a foreign national. Deportation depends on whether the Justice Department pursues criminal prosecution.
“You could see someone leave the country after serving a prison sentence, for example,” Pigott said. “Ultimately, DHS then makes the termination about the next step of appropriate action, whether that’s deportation, whether that is deportation after serving prison sentence, so it really is a case-by-case basis.”
Continuous Vetting Policy
Pigott stressed that the administration’s visa policy is built on ongoing vetting and enforcement.
“We’re going to do what’s necessary to protect the American people, we’re going to enforce our immigration law and we’re gonna make clear when it comes to this visa process we are going to continuously vet people here on visas — we’re going to have an America first visa policy,” he said.
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