WASHINGTON: The United States said Monday it was revoking visas for the British punk-rap group Bob Vylan which led a chant at the Glastonbury festival calling for death to the Israeli military.
“Foreigners who glorify violence and hatred are not welcome visitors to our country,” Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau posted on X.
The @StateDept has revoked the US visas for the members of the Bob Vylan band in light of their hateful tirade at Glastonbury, including leading the crowd in death chants. Foreigners who glorify violence and hatred are not welcome visitors to our country.
— Christopher Landau (@DeputySecState) June 30, 2025
On May 21, the US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that the number of visas he has revoked was “probably in the thousands,” adding that he believed there was still more to do.
“I don’t know the latest count, but we probably have more to do,” Rubio told Senate subcommittee, estimating it was probably in the thousands at this point. “A visa is not a right, it’s a privilege.”
Pakistani passport reaches top 100, offers visa-free access to 32 countries
Separately, two Pakistanis, along with a law firm and a company, have been indicted in the United States (US) for allegedly running a large-scale visa fraud operation.
Federal prosecutors said Abdul Hadi Murshid, 39, and Muhammad Salman Nasir, 35, both residents of Texas, are at the centre of the case.
They have been charged alongside the Law Offices of D. Robert Jones PLLC and Reliable Ventures, Inc.
According to the indictment, the accused misused EB-2, EB-3, and H-1B visa programs by posting fake job advertisements to meet US Department of Labour requirements.
They allegedly obtained labour certifications fraudulently and submitted false petitions to US Citizenship and Immigration Services to secure visas for applicants.
Payments made by visa applicants were reportedly returned as fake salaries to make the jobs seem real.