‘ACCESS DENIED’: Trump stops 6,000 student visas amid crackdown

In 2025, the United States has revoked over 6,000 student visas, representing one of the most stringent immigration enforcement actions to date under the Trump administration.

A U.S. State Department official has confirmed this figure, which indicates a significant shift in Washington’s approach toward foreign students.

These individuals are now facing increased scrutiny regarding their immigration compliance as well as their activities on American campuses.

According to U.S. officials, between 200 and 300 visa revocations were attributed to alleged connections to terrorism or extremist activities. These actions are executed under the provisions of the Immigration and Nationality Act, which prohibits entry or continued residence for individuals associated with such activities.

The majority of visa revocations, approximately 4,000 to 6,000 cases, involved other violations, which spanned from criminal offenses to administrative infractions.

The data illustrates that the enforcement crackdown extends beyond national security issues, encompassing both serious crimes and relatively minor immigration violations.

This intensified enforcement coincides with ongoing campus unrest across the United States. The Trump administration has expressed particular concern regarding protests associated with the Israel-Gaza conflict, suggesting that certain demonstrations have veered into antisemitism.

Critics contend that the White House is leveraging visa enforcement as a mechanism to exert pressure on universities concerning issues of campus speech.

Ivy League institutions—including Harvard, Brown, and the University of Pennsylvania—have been specifically identified by officials who assert that these universities have not taken adequate measures to ensure the safety of Jewish students.

In May 2025, the United States temporarily suspended the scheduling of new student visa interviews at embassies and consulates worldwide, indicating a heightened level of scrutiny for international applicants. This development introduced stricter requirements for social media vetting.

By June 2025, the U.S. government issued a warning that the use of a tourist visa primarily for the purpose of childbirth within the country is strictly prohibited and may result in visa denial.

All applicants are now mandated to unlock their social media accounts for review as part of the national security screening process.

Additionally, the U.S. has begun denying visa applications suspected of being motivated by birth tourism, reiterating that utilizing tourist visas for the said objective is not permissible.

During the same timeframe, the United States tightened regulations concerning asylum seekers and refugees, stipulating that only legally registered civil marriages would be recognized for derivative spouse applications, thereby potentially excluding individuals in customary or religious unions that are not formally documented.

Further contributing to the increasingly restrictive immigration environment, in April, the Department of Homeland Security mandated that all foreign nationals remaining in the United States for more than 30 days must register with the federal government. Failure to comply may result in penalties that include fines, imprisonment, or deportation.