Trump admin revokes 4K foreign students' visas in first 100 days, nearly all with serious criminal records

The State Department revoked the visas of 4,000 foreign students – 90% of whom have serious criminal records – during the first 100 days of President Donald Trump's second term, a senior State Department official confirmed to Fox News Digital.

"Our visa system has lacked oversight and accountability," a senior State Department official told Fox News Digital. "Over the past 100 days, the Trump Administration has worked to fix a broken system."

"Secretary [Marco] Rubio has led the State Department to take a surgical vetting approach to ensure individuals in America as visitors are abiding by ours laws," the source said. "We established an action working group, which has resulted in thousands of visas being revoked because these individuals broke our laws. This is what effective governance looks like."

Those serious crimes included arson, wildlife and human trafficking, child endangerment, domestic abuse, driving under the influence and robbery, according to the New York Post, which first reported the number. 

More than 500 of those impacted students whose visas were revoked have criminal assault records, according to the Post. 

VIDEO SHOWS ARREST OF TUFTS UNIVERSITY STUDENT FOR ALLEGEDLY SUPPORTING HAMAS 

Thousands of student visas have been revoked in the first 100 days of President Donald Trump's second term. (Felipe Ramales for Fox News Digital)

"They came, and they were breaking the law with no consequences," a source said to the Post. "We set up a special action team to handle this."

When reached by Fox News Digital, a State Department spokesperson said the department "revokes visas every day in order to secure America's borders and keep our communities safe – and will continue to do so." 

"Because the process is ongoing, the number of revocations is dynamic," the spokesperson said, explaining that the department "generally does not provide statistics on visa revocations."

"The Trump Administration is focused on protecting our nation and our citizens by upholding the highest standards of national security and public safety through our visa process," the spokesperson continued. "Every prospective traveler to the United States undergoes interagency security vetting. Prohibiting entry to the United States by those who might pose a threat to U.S. national security or public safety is key to protecting U.S. citizens at home. The Department of State will continue to work closely with the Department of Homeland Security to enforce zero tolerance for aliens in the United States who violate U.S. laws, threaten public safety, or in other situations where warranted. " 

The State Department coordinated with the Department of Homeland Security, using their databases to cross-check student visa holders' information with existing law enforcement records, according to the Post. 

Officials said the State Department is only revoking visas for international students who committed serious crimes, the Post reported.

A person walks on campus at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. An international graduate student at the University of Minnesota was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs due to a DUI crime. (Glenn Stubbe/Star Tribune)

"There were cases like where it was not a serious thing, like littering, or somebody had charges that were dropped, where we didn’t revoke those," a source said to the outlet. "Because it should be a serious matter."

The impacted students, who mostly came from Asia and the Middle East, had either departed on their own or will soon be deported by immigration agents, the Post reported.

SEVERAL UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS HAVE VISAS REVOKED

In recent weeks, hundreds of visas have been revoked for international students with ties to anti-Israel protests, according to the State Department.

The waves of visa revocations began as part of Trump’s deportation agenda and crackdown on foreign student visa holders who led on-campus protests against Israel.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said international students should be given a visa only to study, not to "create a ruckus for us." (Evan Vucci)

Secretary of State Marco Rubio previously said visas should be given to students who want "to come and study and get a degree."

"If you come into the United States as a visitor and create a ruckus for us, we don’t want it," Rubio said. 

Rubio specifically cited student visa holders who come to the U.S. and "vandalize a library" or "take over a campus." 

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"So when we identify lunatics like these, we take away their student visa," he said at an April 10 Cabinet meeting while sitting next to Trump. "No one's entitled to a student visa. The press covers student visas like there's some sort of birthright. No, a student visa is like me inviting you into my home. If you come into my home and put all kinds of crap on my couch, I'm going to kick you out of my house. And so, you know, that's what we're doing with our country thanks to the president."