The Trump administration is reportedly planning to revoke business and tourist visas from around 200,000 foreigners who have applied for asylum in the U.S., according to The Associated Press citing State Department documents and officials.
This move targets B1 and B2 visas issued between 2016 and 2026 to individuals who later filed for asylum. If implemented, this could constitute the largest visa revocation in U.S. history, potentially sparking legal challenges.
The State Department is coordinating with the Department of Homeland Security to identify and revoke visas from foreigners who entered the U.S. as short-term visitors but sought asylum to remain permanently, according to State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott.
Pigott noted these revocations will occur on a ‘rolling basis,’ with the exact number of affected individuals remaining unspecified.
Visa losses would not equate to immediate deportations. Those with pending asylum cases would lose their business or tourist traveler status but could be reclassified. The Trump administration views asylum claims as potentially exploitative of immigration laws.
Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau expressed that asylum should not serve as a loophole for immigration law circumvention, highlighting public discontent with fake asylum claims.
B1 visas, usually for business, and B2 visas for tourism, family visits, and medical care, require applicants to show intent to return home.
This initiative follows the Trump administration’s intensified crackdown on perceived immigration system abuse. An estimated 175,000 visas have been revoked by the State Department in the last 18 months.
Sophia Compton, a writer at Fox News Digital, has provided information for this report.