Trump Administration Revokes Record 100,000 Visas While Targeting Gaza Protesters | Headline USA

(José Niño, Headline USA) The State Department canceled more than 100,000 visas during 2025, representing a 150% jump from the previous year and marking an unprecedented expansion of enforcement that swept up thousands of international students criticized for their stance on Gaza.

Dropsite News reported that officials revoked legal status for more than double the roughly 40,000 people affected in 2024 under Biden. The cancellations primarily impacted tourists and business travelers who overstayed their authorized periods, but approximately 8,000 students and 2,500 specialized workers also lost their legal standing.

Last March, Secretary of State Marco Rubio launched an initiative called “Catch and Revoke” that uses artificial intelligence to scan social media profiles of visa holders for content deemed supportive of Hamas or pro-Palestinian activism. 

The AI surveillance program specifically targets international students. Officials now require student visa applicants to make their social media profiles public, and embassies search for “any indications of hostility toward the citizens, culture, government, institutions, or founding principles of the United States,” per The Guardian. 

Federal agents detained Mahmoud Khalil, a former Columbia University student and green card holder, in March 2025 for his role as a negotiator during campus protests. Authorities also revoked the visa of Rumeysa Ozturk, a PhD student at Tufts University, before masked federal agents detained her.

A federal judge in Boston ruled in September 2025 that the administration’s targeting of international students for deportation on ideological grounds violated constitutional protections. 

The Trump administration also expanded visa bond requirements to 38 countries, primarily in Africa, South America, and Asia. Certain applicants must now post refundable bonds of $5,000 to $15,000, with Venezuela and Cuba added shortly after U.S. military operations targeting Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, VisaHQ reported.

José Niño is the deputy editor of Headline USA. Follow him at x.com/JoseAlNino