A State Department official said the revocations were tied to criminal conduct, public-safety concerns and immigration violations, including fraud and providing false information, according to information obtained by The Post and reported by Internewscast. The official said at least 4,000 of the affected visas belonged to foreign nationals accused of participating in or helping facilitate 'birth tourism' — travel to the United States to give birth so a child receives US citizenship. Those are allegations cited by the department; officials did not immediately disclose the nationalities of the people whose visas were revoked.

State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said the total represents the fastest and largest volume of visa cancellations by any administration in US history. 'The message is clear: We have zero tolerance for foreign nationals who use visas to break the law, commit fraud or threaten our national security,' Pigott said. 'We are taking action — and will continue to do so — to protect our borders and keep the nation secure.'

The figure has risen quickly. The State Department said last month that roughly 250,000 revocations had already been recorded since January 2025, so the new total means roughly 50,000 more in the weeks since, VisaVerge reported. Among the visas cancelled in 2025, about 25 percent involved assaults or related offences, driving under the influence accounted for another 22 percent, theft represented 7 percent and drug use or distribution made up an additional 7 percent, according to the department figures reported by Internewscast.

For Punjabi and other diaspora families in the United States, a visa revocation is not the same as a deportation order, but it can end lawful travel and status planning and can affect future visa applications. Readers with a revocation notice should take licensed US immigration advice before travelling. Human-rights advocates have criticised the administration's expanded social-media screening, arguing it infringes free speech and unfairly targets immigrant communities — a criticism the administration rejects, saying the measures are for public safety.

Sources: Internewscast, October 20, 2026, reporting information obtained by The Post from a State Department official and spokesman Tommy Pigott; VisaVerge, October 20, 2026, 'State Department Visa Revocations Top 300,000 in 2026'.