State Department Official Details New Policies Targeting Visa Overstays and Border Security

The Trump State Department is implementing actual immigration vetting standards, a welcome change from the previous administration’s cavalier approach to border security. Tommy Pigott, Principal Deputy spokesman at the U.S. Department of State, recently outlined these common-sense policies that prioritize American safety over bureaucratic rubber-stamping.

Here are the facts: Former Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti bragged about increasing visas by more than 60 percent, eliminating wait times, and issuing over one million non-immigrant visas. More than five million Indians currently hold multi-year, multi-use United States visas. This is not something to celebrate when proper vetting takes a backseat to processing speed.

The question is simple: Should we be proud of the sheer volume of visas issued, or should we ensure that every single person entering this country poses no threat to our national security? The answer is obvious to anyone operating in reality.

“We’re making sure we actually have vetting standards that mean that every single one of those visas is someone that should be coming to the United States, is somebody that will not harm our national security, is somebody that will not break our laws or violate the terms of their visas,” Pigott explained. This is not controversial. This is the baseline responsibility of any sovereign nation.

The Trump administration understands a fundamental truth that the Left refuses to acknowledge: visa security is border security. When someone overstays their visa, that is illegal immigration, plain and simple. Yet this massive problem has been largely ignored in favor of focusing exclusively on the Southwest border.

The numbers tell the story. Visa overstays represent a huge portion of illegal immigration in this country, yet the previous administration treated this issue with shocking indifference. The Trump State Department is now revoking visas when individuals break our laws, threaten our national security, or violate their visa terms. Revolutionary concept, apparently.

The administration has implemented targeted policies for countries with high overstay rates or inadequate screening capabilities. If a country cannot properly vet its own citizens, or if historical data shows rampant visa violations, the United States has every right to pause visa issuance or implement additional safeguards.

One particularly effective policy is the visa bond program, requiring applicants from high-risk countries to pay a refundable bond of up to $15,000. The results speak for themselves: countries where this policy has been enacted have seen overstay rates drop to near zero. When people have financial skin in the game, they follow the rules. Economics works.

This is not complicated. Nations have borders. Borders have meaning. Immigration laws exist for a reason. The Trump administration is simply enforcing the laws that were already on the books, laws that the previous administration chose to ignore in pursuit of inflated visa numbers and superficial diplomatic victories.

The Left will inevitably characterize these measures as xenophobic or discriminatory. They are neither. These are rational policies based on empirical data about overstay rates and security risks. Every country on earth has the sovereign right to determine who enters its territory and under what conditions.

The Trump State Department’s message is clear: we will not tolerate illegal immigration in any form, whether it occurs at the Southwest border or through visa violations. This represents a return to sanity in American immigration policy, prioritizing the safety and security of American citizens over the convenience of foreign nationals seeking entry.

Common sense has returned to the State Department. It is about time.