Early this month, the department said that since President Donald Trump returned to power in January 2025, some 175,000 foreigners had seen their US visas revoked on grounds ranging from criminal offenses, including driving under the influence, to praising the
killing of the right-wing activist Charlie Kirk.
The administration also recently revoked the visas of Mexican officials, including the son of the former president Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador. This prompted a complaint from the current president, Claudia Sheinbaum.
Trump, who
won reelection in large part on his promise to fight illegal immigration, has expelled huge numbers of people who were in the country without proper residence papers.
But he has also worked to restrict the entry of foreigners who do go by the rules and has gone after those who overstay their visas after they expire.
Some of these measures have been challenged and curtailed by the courts.
Last Friday a federal judge
struck down a government ban on visas to nationals from 75 countries who wish to settle in the country indefinitely.
These countries included Afghanistan, Brazil, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Nigeria, Somalia, Thailand and Yemen.
The Trump administration is also planning to expand vetting of the social media accounts of visa applicants.
“We are making clear that a visa is a privilege — not a right,” Pigott said on Tuesday.