The U.S. State Department has revoked more than 6,000 student visas so far in 2025, citing violations including overstays, assault, burglary, DUIs, and support for terrorism, officials confirmed to Fox News Digital.
The action comes as part of a broader initiative by the Trump administration to tighten immigration enforcement and safeguard academic institutions.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who announced in May that the administration was reviewing the visa status of students involved in pro-Palestine protests, has made student visa revocations a top priority.
According to the State Department, about 4,000 of the revoked visas were tied to students who broke the law while in the U.S. That group included approximately 800 students arrested or charged in assault cases.
An additional 200 to 300 students lost their visas after officials determined they had engaged in activity linked to support for terrorism, including raising money for Hamas, which the U.S. has designated as a foreign terrorist organization.
“Every single student visa revoked under the Trump Administration has happened because the individual has either broken the law or expressed support for terrorism while in the United States,” a senior State Department official said in a statement.
The administration reported that a total of about 40,000 visas of all types have been revoked in 2025. By comparison, approximately 16,000 visas were revoked during the same period under the Biden administration.
Rubio told lawmakers on the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Foreign Affairs in May that the numbers were still increasing.
“I don’t know the latest count, but we probably have more to do,” Rubio said on May 20. “We’re going to continue to revoke the visas of people who are here as guests and are disrupting our higher education facilities.”
Democrats have pushed back on the effort, arguing it raises concerns about due process.
“I do think it’s a fundamental attack on freedom, because due process is the guardian of the gate to keep a government from taking away people’s life or liberty, and liberty is what happens when you take away a visa without due process,” Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) told Rubio during the May 20 hearing.
The crackdown follows several executive orders signed by President Donald Trump in January.
One directed federal agencies, including the State Department and Department of Homeland Security, to increase vetting of all foreign nationals entering the United States, particularly those from high-risk regions.
Another order required the government to use every available legal tool to prosecute or remove individuals responsible for unlawful anti-Semitic harassment and violence.
Student visas allow foreign nationals to study in the United States temporarily. They differ from green cards, which permit non-citizens to remain in the U.S. permanently.
Officials have signaled that the reviews of student visa holders will continue throughout the year.
