According to Tommy Pigott, a spokesman for the State Department, “the Trump administration has no higher priority than protecting American citizens and upholding American sovereignty.”

Since Donald Trump’s second inauguration on January 20, 2025, the number has increased by 2.5 times compared to the total that was withdrawn during Joe Biden’s presidency in 2024.

According to the State Department, “thousands” of the visas were cancelled due to offences like assault and drunk driving.

Marco Rubio, the Secretary of State, has proudly emphasised that he revoked the visas of students who demonstrated against Israel.

Although some of his well-known targets successfully contested deportation orders in court, Marco Rubio invoked a McCarthy-era statute that permits the United States to deny entry to individuals deemed to be against US foreign policy.

Eight thousand of the revoked visas were for students, according to the State Department.

The surge in revocations is driven by the State Department’s new “Continuous Vetting Centre,” which monitors foreign nationals in real-time even after they have entered the United States. This system flags minor infractions, such as speeding tickets or arrests where charges were later dropped, triggering automatic visa terminations via the SEVIS database.

However, this “strike first, ask later” approach has faced significant legal challenges. In 2025, federal judges in several states issued “Temporary Restraining Orders,” ruling that the Trump administration may have violated the “Administrative Procedure Act” and due process rights.

Notable cases, such as those of Turkish PhD student Rumeysa Ozturk and various Columbia University activists, saw courts temporarily restore legal status after finding the government’s actions were based on political dissent rather than genuine security threats.

Additionally, the Trump administration has toughened visa requirements, including screening visitors’ social media posts.

The revocation of visas is a part of a larger campaign of mass deportations that is being actively carried out by an increase in federal officials.

The post United States revokes record 100,000 visas in 2025 appeared first on International Finance.

Before going for meetings at Camp David, Trump told reporters at the White House: “It’s going to be one of the great Christmas gifts to middle-income people.

“This is going to bring money in. As an example, we think $4 trillion is going to be flowing back into the country. That’s money that’s overseas that’s stuck there for years and years.”

The announcement came only a few days before Congress votes.

With the assurance of support from the US Senators Marco Rubio and Bob Corker, the plan got finalised on Friday. If the bill passes, it will not only turn into a law, but also will be the biggest US tax rewrite since 1986. Adding to these, the tax rewrite will also be the first major legislative victory of Republican lawmakers and Trump.

The major US Republicans have opined that they are expecting the Congress to pass a tax code overhaul this week. A Senate vote on Tuesday and President Donald Trump’s aim to be done with the signing of the bill by this week are on the cards, that many are looking forward to.

The proposed package would slice off the US corporate tax rate to 21 percent and chop off taxes for the rich.

Under an agreement between the House of Representatives and the Senate, the corporate tax would be 1 percentage point higher than the 20 percent rate earlier proposed. Yet the percentage is lagging behind the current rate of 35 percent. This is a major tax reduction that corporations have been seeking for years.

The post Trump presents ‘one of the great Christmas gifts’ for middle class Americans appeared first on International Finance.