The Trump administration is set to revoke as many as 200,000 visas from foreign visitors who entered on B1 or B2 business and tourist visas and later filed for asylum, The Associated Press reported Monday.
Targeted Visa Categories
The State Department will announce the crackdown soon, focusing on visas issued between 2016 and 2026 that were later used to seek asylum, according to the AP. Officials say some applicants obtained short‑term visas under false pretenses and then leveraged the asylum process to stay permanently.
“We are coordinating with DHS to identify and revoke the nonimmigrant visas of foreigners who have come to the United States claiming to be short‑term visitors, but then file for asylum to stay here permanently,” State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said in a statement to the AP.
Pigott declined to specify the exact number of visas targeted, noting that “the process will be ongoing, the number of revocations remains dynamic and will be done on a rolling basis.”
Revoking the visas does not automatically trigger immediate deportation, the AP reported. Instead, pending asylum cases will move from the affirmative to the defensive process, requiring applicants to argue their claims before immigration judges while facing removal proceedings.
Administration’s Rationale
Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau outlined the administration’s concerns in an X post Monday, stating that “people in the US and all over the world are fed up with bogus asylum claims.” He emphasized that asylum is meant “to provide a narrow safe harbor for persons persecuted because of their race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion,” not to serve as a loophole for extending stays.
Since taking office, President Donald Trump’s team has tightened legal immigration rules, revoking roughly 175,000 visas linked to individuals accused or convicted of crimes.
Broader Immigration Crackdown
Federal officials have also targeted birth‑tourism schemes that coach foreigners on how to fraudulently obtain visas to give birth in the United States, adding another layer to the visa‑revocation effort.
