U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Tuesday that the number of visas he has revoked is likely in the thousands, signaling the Trump administration’s continued push to tighten immigration enforcement.
Rubio, who was appointed Secretary of State under Republican President Donald Trump, said the visa revocations are part of a broader effort to uphold what he described as lawful entry and behavior standards. When asked for an estimate, he said it was “probably in the thousands at this point,” marking a sharp increase from March, when he disclosed the State Department may have revoked more than 300 visas.
“I don’t know the latest count, but we probably have more to do,” Rubio told a Senate appropriations subcommittee that oversees foreign affairs.
“We’re going to continue to revoke the visas of people who are here as guests and are disrupting our higher education facilities.”
Rubio clarified that the revoked visas included both student and visitor visas, and that he personally signed each action. “A visa is not a right. It’s a privilege,” he added.
During a March visit to Jamaica, Rubio emphasized that law-abiding visa holders and permanent residents had no reason to fear the U.S. immigration system. He said that approximately 15 million people had entered the country unlawfully in recent years.
“If tomorrow Jamaica announced that anybody who wants to come can come in, you’re going to get a lot of people too and it’s going to be very disruptive. So, we need to have immigration laws and we need to enforce them, and that’s what the President is doing,” Rubio said at the time.
He also noted that Jamaica is not a significant source of illegal migration to the U.S. “It’s not even in the top 10 or top 20, for that matter, I don’t think,” he pointed out.
Still, Rubio warned of severe consequences for those who abuse their visa status or engage in violent activities while in the U.S.
“If you’re a green card holder, you’re legally in the United States unless… you’re some student visa holder who is a sympathiser of some terrorist organisation and is running around in our streets like a lunatic, burning down buildings and attacking students at universities,” he said.
“If you had told us, I’m going to America, not just to study at your university but to tear up your campus, we would have never let you in, and if you do that once you come into the United States, we’re going to kick you out,” Rubio warned.
He also issued a stern message to criminal elements: “If you’re one of these violent gang members that’s coming to the United States, then we’re going to kick you out. The President’s very committed to that, but if you’re a green card holder and you’re not any of these things, you’re going to be fine.”
