Washington: The US Department of State has announced the revocation of more than 100,000 visas, including those of students, as part of efforts to maintain national security. This measure encompasses approximately 8,000 student visas and 2,500 visas belonging to individuals involved in criminal activities who have come to the attention of US law enforcement agencies, according to a post by the Department of State on the X platform.
According to Kuwait News Agency, the department underscored its commitment to deporting these individuals to uphold the security of the United States. Despite these revocations, data from the US Department of State and a nonprofit institute for international studies reveal that the total number of international students enrolled in US colleges and universities has surpassed 1.1 million for the 2023/2024 academic year.
Students from China and India constitute the largest group of foreign students in the United States, accounting for 54 percent of the international student population. Additionally, statistics indicate that Saudi Arabia leads among Arab countries in terms of the number of international students in the US, followed by Kuwait and Egypt.
Since President Donald Trump assumed office last January, his administration has been proactive in canceling the visas of hundreds of students, faculty members, and researchers at many US universities and colleges. Some of these cancellations relate to suspicions of support for terrorist organizations, while others pertain to minor offenses committed years ago, such as traffic violations.