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U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has strongly defended the Trump administration’s tighter visa and refugee policies, saying the United States has a responsibility to know “who you are, why you’re coming, and what you’ve done in the past,” remarks that are likely to resonate across India’s large student and skilled-worker communities.

Speaking at a wide-ranging news conference, Rubio said the administration has revoked or denied tens of thousands of visas over the past year. He stressed that visas are a privilege, not a right, and must align with U.S. national security interests.

“Our visa system… should reflect the national interest,” Rubio said, adding that the law gives the U.S. government “the right, and in fact the obligation” to revoke visas when individuals engage in activities that run counter to American interests.

Rubio said more than 60,000 to 70,000 visas have been revoked or denied “for different and a variety of reasons,” including cases involving people already inside the United States as well as applicants seeking reentry. He said some of those affected were students, while others were researchers or visitors.

“If you have the power to deny someone a visa before they get one, you most certainly have the power to revoke it once they get one and then do something they shouldn’t be doing,” he said.

The secretary rejected suggestions that the policy is politically motivated, saying visa revocations are driven by security and legal concerns.

“Who you allow to visit your country should reflect the national interest,” Rubio said. “A visa is a visitor. It’s not a right.”

Rubio also defended the administration’s decision to halt or limit refugee admissions, including for religious minorities. He said years of inadequate vetting had allowed people to enter the U.S. without proper screening.

“We know for a fact there are people in this country who got in through some form of vetting that was wholly insufficient,” he said, noting that in some cases applicants came from places where reliable records did not exist.

He said the United States remains “the most generous country in the world” when it comes to legal immigration, adding that nearly one million people are expected to receive green cards this year. Still, he said the administration is determined to end what he described as “reckless migratory incompetence.”

“There is a desire in our country to put a stop to that until we can fix the processes,” Rubio said.

Addressing visa backlogs affecting foreign religious workers, including priests, Rubio said the administration is preparing changes and expects to make an announcement “early next month” after consultations with religious leaders.

On student and diversity-based visa programs, Rubio said recent suspensions were aimed at reviewing whether vetting systems had systemic gaps.

“You suspend the program to figure out whether something… should have been a red flag but wasn’t identified,” he said.

Rubio’s remarks come at a time of growing concern among Indian students and professionals, who form one of the largest groups of U.S. visa holders, especially in higher education and skilled employment categories.

His emphasis on post-entry scrutiny and revocation authority highlights a shift toward stricter enforcement that could affect both new applicants and those already living in the United States. Rubio said the approach reflects basic principles of sovereignty.

“We have a right, like every sovereign country does, to know who you are,” he said, adding that many countries enforce immigration policies “far more restrictive” than those of the United States.

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