US revokes thousands of visas amid establishment of task force to end ‘birth tourism’

WASHINGTON, CMC – The United States government says it has revoked over 175,000 visas to foreign nationals as the Donald Trump administration establishes a task force for ending what it described as “birth tourism”.

The Department of State said that the visas were revoked because the foreign nationals violated the terms of their visas, committed crimes, called for violence against US citizens, defrauded Americans, abused the US immigration system, or endangered national security.

“The majority of these visas were revoked due to law enforcement encounters for a range of criminal activity, with assault, driving under the influence, theft, and drug crimes being the leading causes. A significant share of visas was revoked for reckless driving, sexual assault, child abuse, fraud and embezzlement, and other crimes.”

The State Department said the revocations come as a result of its “continuous vetting operations, which ensure that visa recipients abide by the terms of their visa and do not endanger Americans”.

It said it has revoked visas from “criminals who posed a danger to American citizens, endorsed violence against Americans, arranged illegal birth tourism schemes, or engaged in fraud”.

The Department said Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the son of Cuban migrants, “has determined that numerous foreign nationals are deportable on foreign policy grounds, including a Cuban national connected to a Cuban communist regime influence operation”.

Washington said a US visa is a “privilege, not a right,” and that it “remains committed to using every tool available to protect our communities from those who abuse it”.

At the same time, as legal groups file a lawsuit against President Trump’s new birthright citizenship order, the Department of State said it is using “all available tools to defend the integrity of US citizenship, ensure nonimmigrant visas are used only for their lawful and intended purposes, and prevent their exploitation through birth tourism”.

“As President Trump has made clear, citizenship is not a commodity to be acquired through the calculated exploitation of US immigration laws,” added the department.

It said it is “working closely with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to combat birth tourism and protect the integrity of the US immigration system”.

The State Department warned that Caribbean and other foreigners who wilfully misrepresent the purpose of their travel or entry into the United States may be permanently ineligible for a US visa or entry to the United States.

It said it has uncovered patterns that illustrate the lengths some applicants will go to circumvent US laws in order to secure US citizenship for their children and potentially for themselves in the future.

“Citizenship is not a commodity to be acquired through calculated exploitation and evasion of the immigration laws. Foreign nationals who abuse the visa system, and those who help them do so, may lose their visa, their access, and their future in the United States. This is only the beginning.”

Last week, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) said it and other legal groups are asking a federal district court to ensure those children remain protected from Trump’s latest attacks.

The ACLU said that the US Supreme Court handed the civil and legal rights organisations a “resounding win” on June 30 in Trump v. Barbara, when it struck down the president’s order that “sought to undo this fundamental constitutional protection”.

On August 6, Trump signed a new executive order again targeting birthright citizenship.

Follow The Gleaner on X, formerly Twitter, and Instagram @JamaicaGleaner and on Facebook @GleanerJamaica. Send us a message on WhatsApp at 1-876-499-0169 or email us at onlinefeedback@gleanerjm.com or editors@gleanerjm.com.