In a fact sheet issued by the department, officials said most of the visa revocations followed encounters with law-enforcement authorities. Assault, driving under the influence, theft and drug-related offences were among the leading reasons cited.
The department also listed cases involving more serious criminal allegations, including rape, sexual battery, kidnapping, human trafficking and possession of child sexual abuse material.
The latest figure marks a substantial increase from January, when the State Department said it had revoked more than 100,000 visas.
Broader screening of visa holders
The department said visa holders can lose their visas when they violate the terms under which they were admitted to the United States or become subject to other grounds for revocation.
It also cited cases involving people accused of calling for violence against US citizens, defrauding Americans or abusing the immigration system.
The department said an embassy in North Africa had revoked more than 100 visas involving alleged “birth tourism”, in which foreign nationals travelled to the United States primarily to give birth.
The State Department also said it had revoked visas belonging to several foreign nationals who celebrated the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
Reuters, reporting the announcement separately, said the visa cancellations form part of the Trump administration's wider immigration crackdown. The agency reported that the administration has also tightened visa screening, including scrutiny of applicants' social-media activity.
A wider shift in visa policy
The scale of the cancellations reflects a broader tightening of US immigration and visa enforcement under President Donald Trump.
The State Department's latest announcement concerns visas that have already been issued. It is separate from the administration's increasingly stringent screening of people seeking to enter the United States.
The department's action has implications beyond immigration enforcement, as visa restrictions affect international travel, education, business visits and other forms of cross-border exchange.
Rights advocates and human-rights experts have criticised aspects of the administration's expanded social-media screening and immigration enforcement, arguing that some measures could affect free expression and unfairly target foreign nationals.
