Trump administration to scrutinize millions of visa holders; halts truck driver visas as foreign drivers ‘endanger’ American lives

The US State Department said on Thursday, August 21, that it will continuously vet more than 55 million US visa holders, including tourists and students, for state and federal law violations.

It said it was looking for indicators of ineligibility, including people staying past the timeframe outlined in a visa, criminal activity, threats to public safety, engaging in any form of terrorist activity or supporting a terrorist organization.

“The State Department revokes visas any time there are indications of a potential ineligibility, which includes things like any indicators of overstays, criminal activity, threats to public safety, engaging in any form of terrorist activity, or providing support to a terrorist organization,” a State Department spokesperson told The Hill in an emailed statement on Thursday, August 21.


As reported by The Hill, the department stated that all US visa holders, including international students and tourists, will undergo “continuous vetting.”

Immigration screening due to ‘Anti-American activity’

The statement comes just days after the Trump administration said that it will screen for "anti-American" views and antisemitism, including on social media, when vetting the applications of people applying for immigration "benefit requests."

The State Department said earlier this week that it has revoked over 6,000 student visas for overstays and violations since US President Donald Trump returned to the White House in January.

Around 4,000 of those individuals broke the law, while another 200 to 300 had their visas rescinded for backing terrorists.

The majority of these were for assault, driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs and "support for terrorism."

Visas for truck drivers also halted

Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on Thursday that the US will cease issuing work visas for commercial truck drivers.

In a post on X, Rubio said the change was "effective immediately."




"The increasing number of foreign drivers operating large tractor-trailer trucks on US roads is endangering American lives and undercutting the livelihoods of American truckers," Rubio said.

This decision follows heightened scrutiny after footage of an illegal migrant truck driver went viral.

The video showed Harjinder Singh making an illegal U-turn that resulted in a crash on August 12, which left three people dead. According to a Fox News report, Singh was an illegal immigrant who failed both the English and road sign tests.