Sometimes you learn a number that's so shocking you don't even have a reference point for it. I discovered one of those numbers this week when the Associated Press reported on the Trump administration's crackdown on all foreigners in the United States with a visa. Were you to put a gun to my head, I'd have never come with it.

The A.P. reports that the Trump administration is conducting a close review of "all 55 million foreigners with U.S. visa for any violations." That's not a typo. There are 55 million foreigners with U.S. visas.

That number quickly went viral among conservative outlets, for obvious reasons. The entire population of Canada is 41 million. You could combine the populations of multiple U.S. states and not add up to 55 million.

The A.P. reports, "In a written answer to a question from The Associated Press, the State Department said all U.S. visa holders, which can include tourists from many countries, are subject to 'continuous vetting,' with an eye toward any indication they could be ineligible for permission to enter or stay in the United States."

It's critical to note something: many of these are likely tourist visas. According to U.S. figures, 75 - 80 million people travel to the United States annually. So the visas the Trump administration is reviewing aren't just a list of people here for work or college.

But even accounting for that, the A.P. notes, "There were 12.8 million green-card holders and 3.6 million people in the U.S. on temporary visas last year, according to the Department of Homeland Security." That means at least 16.4 million of the total is just from those groups alone.

In truth, I get why the State Department is conducting this review. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said they were cutting off access to any more foreigners getting CDL licenses after the brutal crash in Florida that killed three. The review of the 55 million goes beyond that, though. The State Department said:

The State Department said it was looking for indicators of ineligibility, including people staying past the authorized timeframe outlined in a visa, criminal activity, threats to public safety, engaging in any form of terrorist activity, or providing support to a terrorist organization.

"We review all available information as part of our vetting, including law enforcement or immigration records or any other information that comes to light after visa issuance indicating a potential ineligibility," the department said.

The social media post point is interesting because it's clearly targeted at some of the student visas—those who are either from these foreign terrorist groups, or joining with them while overseas. Social media allows the Trump administration to identify the terrorists, Marxists, and more for expulsion.

The example of this was this week when an anti-ICE influencer was arrested. She was, ironically enough, an illegal alien and made all her money blasting ICE and the United States on her platform inside the U.S. It's hard to be any more obvious than that - all she was missing was a gigantic neon saying screaming "arrest me."

But in truth, you see that 55 million number and then sprinkle in the 8-10 million that crossed the border illegally under Biden, and you start to see why Americans were upset about immigration in the 2024 election. The numbers are simply staggering, even when you start slicing them down into sub-components.

That's what triggered the astonishment on the right. No one knew the number of outstanding visas was multitudes larger than the combined population of Canada. I don't know what I would have guessed the number to be before this, but it wouldn't have been that high, that's for sure.

This isn't a call to reduce the number of people traveling here. I'm fine with tourist dollars pouring into small businesses and the tax coffers. But it is worth noting that the Trump White House is right to take a closer look at things, especially when you compare the lax approach of the Biden team, which usually just shrugged at the issue.

The number of visas issued is far higher than anyone expected, and the number of undocumented individuals living here is higher than expected, too. But when you see the number of people here with legal documentation, you start understanding the polls that suggested that legal immigrants hated legal migrants the most.

Everyone waiting in line gets mad at those breaking line to get in front of others. It's understandable.

Given the numbers involved, upgrading the entire immigration process to the highest levels of technology we have should be seen as critical. Expecting paper and human contact to handle this level of workflow is insane.