Rubio: Visas Privileges, Revocable for Security Risks

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated on Monday that visas to enter the United States are privileges, not rights, and can be revoked if foreign visitors engage in activities deemed harmful to national security or foreign policy interests. Speaking at a joint press conference in Budapest alongside Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán on February 16, 2026, Rubio addressed ongoing debates over visa revocations amid the Trump administration's efforts to enforce immigration rules.

Rubio's remarks came in response to questions about recent legal developments involving international students. He emphasized that no one is entitled to a visa and that there is no constitutional right to one. "A visa is permission to enter our country as a visitor," Rubio said. "If you enter our country as a visitor, and as a visitor in our country, be it a student, a tourist, a journalist, whatever you want to be, and you undertake activities that are against the national interest, the national security of the United States, we will take away your visa. In fact, if we knew you were going to do it, we probably wouldn't have given you your visa."

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