'Catch and revoke': New policy means zero tolerance for visa holders

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: USA Today

May 2, 2025, 6:12 p.m. ET


The Trump administration has a tough new message for foreigners in the United States: One strike, and you're out. Foreign nationals visiting or living in the country legally could lose their visa status if they run afoul of the law under the new and unforgiving so-called "catch and revoke" policy, announced by Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

"There is now a one-strike policy: Catch-And-Revoke," Rubio said in a social media post on May 2. "Whenever the government catches non-U.S. citizens breaking our laws, we will take action to revoke their status." The policy, originally announced April 30 in a newsletter authored by Rubio, suggests it will pursue immigrants convicted of criminal activity, including domestic violence and assault.

But the policy announcement didn't specify the spectrum of crimes that could result in a visa revocation, and immigration experts questioned how it might be implemented, given the Trump administration's far-reaching crackdown.

David Bier, director of immigration studies at the libertarian Cato Institute, called the new policy "absurd" and contrary to U.S. immigration law. "Wealthy, skilled people with other options will not settle in a country where their lives can be ruined for a speeding ticket or operating an illegal lemonade stand," he said in a post on X.

Read more: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2025/05/02/foreign-visitors-one-strike-policy-rubio-trump/83413717007/

[Irish_Dem]

1. The goal is to get rid of all visa holders.

No one except the wealthy and those who pay cash to Trump will get visas.

[lonely bird]

2. Cato misses the point

Of course, that is unsurprising. Wealth will have no problems unless they commit egregious offenses. Wealth will always be protected.

[OldBaldy1701E]

3. Only because we let them get away with it.

But, we are too programmed so that is not a surprise.

[58Sunliner]

4. Why are we being ruled by his toxic narcissism? We need an Arab spring.

Meanwhile child molesters get a slap on the wrist.

[the nelm]

8. Never mind convicted felons...n/t

[IbogaProject]

9. I'm thinking more of a Parisian Summer might be more necessary

Just speaking hypothetically.

[58Sunliner]

13. That has a certain je en sais pas quoi.

[Auggie]

5. Backhanded way for Krasnov to compromise U.S. technology, especially military?

[AZLD4Candidate]

6. My wife is going for her driver's license.

She gets a "criminal" moving violation like speeding and I could have ICE at my door taking her away and deporting her.

"There is now a one-strike policy: Catch-And-Revoke," Rubio said in a social media post on May 2. "Whenever the government catches non-U.S. citizens breaking our laws, we will take action to revoke their status."

This policy does not differentiate between non-immigrant visas (student, tourist, J1, work, etc) and immigrant visas, like my wife's IR1 that led to her green card.

This is what we have come to. This is what we are now.

[MLWR]

7. That should take care of any other citizens of foreign nations

who were considering a vacation in the US. And there go the tourism and hospitality industries here.

[KPN]

10. Hmmmm ... wonder what would have happened when Rubio's parents came to US in 1956 were there a

"Catch and Revoke" policy in place. His grandfather came later and was actually detained for being undocumented, but ultimately allowed to stay (by a kinder, gentler America). Geez, maybe we could have dodged a bullet. Maybe there never would have been a Senator or Secretary of State Rubio. Too bad.

[defacto7]

11. The biggest question is, who will decide and when will they decide status and action.

Will they just call ICE or Immigration to haul-off the accused? If someone gets a traffic ticket, does the policeman put them in jail right then and contact immigration or does it go through court channels? Will they be released and required to go to court or held in custody?

This is serious stuff, people. It's so general it could affect any non-citizen with any immigration status for about any reason that some self-appointed decider can vomit up.

[tornado34jh]

12. I am not calling for this, but if you are some of these countries that have students here in the US,

Forget about tariffs, does it get to the point where you decide to start sanctioning the US? Do you retaliate and hold any people from the US in prison regardless of circumstances? So if you happen to be a student studying abroad and you are wrongly thrown in jail, are you just going to say, "You are doing it to us, we'll do the same?" Again, I am not calling for it, but at some point, they aren't going to take being bullied by Trump and the US any longer. We didn't have good standing with a lot of the world before Trump, now it is even worse.

[alfredo]

14. The greatest crime is

Criticizing Trump will get you detained and when he is good and ready, deport you to some war-torn banana republic.