The Trump administration has introduced a strict “catch and revoke” policy, threatening visa status for foreigners who violate the law, a harsh warning for those legally present in the US.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced a zero-tolerance policy for temporary visa holders in a State Department document.
The State Department has now made clear that a US visa is a privilege, not a right. Under the Biden Administration’s “Catch and Release” policy, illegal aliens were often provided with a get-out-of-jail-free card after arrests for criminal activity including domestic violence and assault.
There is now a one-strike policy: Catch-And-Revoke. “Whenever the government catches non-U.S. citizens breaking our laws, we will take action to revoke their status. The time of contemptuously taking advantage of our nation’s generosity ends,” said Rubio in the statement.
The new “one-strike” immigration policy applies to all temporary visa holders, visitors, and foreign-born professionals in H-1B status. This also extends to the thousands of foreign students studying in the United States and holding an F-1 Student visa.
Employers and holders of H-1B visas may also take notice of Rubio’s remarks. When claiming to have “adverse information” on individuals, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has begun to issue Requests for Evidence for applications pertaining to H-1B and employment-based immigration.
Under the Immigration and Nationality Act, any foreigner who “endorses or espouses terrorist activity or persuades others to endorse or espouse terrorist activity or support a terrorist organization” is inadmissible to the United States, and henceforth that law will be enforced to the letter, reads Rubio’s statement.
“The State Department now reviews law-enforcement information about student visa holders, and when we find those who have supported terrorists or otherwise abused our hospitality, their visas are instantly revoked,” said Rubio.