The United States State Department has already revoked “tens of thousands of visas” and is “just getting started on tens of thousands more”, Stephen Miller, the White House deputy chief of staff for policy, told Newsmax on Tuesday.

His remarks came amid the President Donald Trump administration’s intensified crackdown on immigration.

An unidentified State Department official told Reuters on November 5 that the administration had revoked around 80,000 non-immigrant visas since taking office on January 20, for offences ranging from driving under the influence to assault and theft.

The administration has also adopted a stricter policy on granting visas, with tightened social media vetting and expanded screening.

In an interview to the American news network, Miller said the Trump administration had put in place “the highest standard of vetting” for new visas, including student visas.

He added: “We have a new focus on denaturalisation…We have a new focus on cutting back on welfare tourism, welfare migration.”

On September 19, Trump signed an order requiring companies to pay $100,000 for each H-1B worker visa. However, two days after the rule came into effect, his administration clarified that the fee applies only to new applicants and does not affect current holders.

H-1B visas allow US companies to temporarily employ foreign workers in specialty occupations. Over the past few years, Indians have constituted the majority of H-1B visa holders. Indians comprised 72.3% of all H-1B visas issued by the US in the financial year 2022-’23.

Washington has repeatedly said that it was planning changes to the H-1B visa programme, saying that it was “terrible”.

During his first term, Trump had tightened rules on H-1B visas, citing “abuse” and “economic strain”.

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