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The Trump administration has revoked visas for more than a quarter of a million people over violations that included birth tourism and endangering national security.
State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott called the 250,000+ visa revocations a "historic milestone" in the administration's efforts to protect the American people, Fox News reported Wednesday.
'We will not stop until every foreign national who threatens the safety of our communities is held accountable.'
"Every visa decision is a national security decision. Through continuous vetting on a scale never seen before, we are identifying and removing those who commit crimes, support terrorism, defraud Americans, or abuse our immigration system," Pigott explained.
"A U.S. visa is a privilege, not a right — and if you violate the terms of that privilege, you will lose it," he added. "We will not stop until every foreign national who threatens the safety of our communities is held accountable."
The revocations targeted people who violated the terms of their visas and those who committed crimes, including defrauding Americans or calling for violence against America or Americans.
About 2,300 of those involved birth tourism.
About 27 visas were revoked on Monday for officials from Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru, as well as their families over accusations of corruption.
A report in August indicated that the administration was looking to revoke visas for 200,000 people who had applied for asylum, which would be the largest single mass revocation of visas in U.S. history.
Pigott said at the time they were investigating false claims of asylum.
"We are coordinating with DHS to identify and revoke the nonimmigrant visas of foreigners who have come to the United States claiming to be short-term visitors, but then file for asylum to stay here permanently," he said.
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Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau said in August that Americans were "fed up" with "bogus" requests for asylum.
"Asylum isn’t supposed to be a loophole to circumvent immigration laws; rather, it’s supposed to provide a narrow safe harbor for persons persecuted because of their 'race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion,'" he wrote on social media.
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[H/T Blaze Media]
