The Trump administration is preparing to revoke the B1 and B2 visas of up to 200,000 foreigners who have applied for or are seeking asylum in the United States, according to documents obtained by The Associated Press and two US officials.
If implemented, the move would be the largest mass visa revocation in US history and is likely to face legal challenges.
The State Department could announce the action in the coming weeks. It plans to revoke B1 and B2 visas issued between 2016 and 2026 to holders who have sought asylum or are currently seeking it. The department will coordinate the move with the Department of Homeland Security.
“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.
Pigott did not confirm how many visas could be revoked. He said, “as the process will be ongoing, the number of revocations remains dynamic and will be done on a rolling basis.”
The revocations would not automatically lead to immediate deportation. Officials said most people with pending asylum applications would retain their ongoing cases but would lose their status as business or tourism travellers.
B1 visas are generally issued for business travel, while B2 visas cover tourism, family visits and medical care. The documents and officials did not specify how many B1 and B2 holders seeking asylum would be affected.
Applicants for these visas are currently required to confirm that they will not seek asylum in the US and must show that they intend to return to their home countries.
Trump administration tightens visa rules
The administration has expanded visa restrictions since President Donald Trump began his second term last year. The measures include increased scrutiny of applicants’ social media activity, costly visa bonds and bans on visa issuance to citizens of certain countries.
Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau criticised people who enter the US on tourist or business visas and later apply for asylum.
“People in the US and all over the world are fed up with bogus asylum claims,” Landau wrote on X on Monday. “Asylum isn't supposed to be a loophole to circumvent immigration law.”
He cited the case of a Colombian citizen who entered the US on a tourist visa in 2015 and later applied for asylum.
The State Department has revoked about 175,000 visas over the past 18 months. The cancellations involved people convicted or accused of offences including drunken driving, rape and robbery. Some visas were also revoked from people who publicly criticised US policies, particularly those related to the Middle East.
The department began screening current B1 and B2 visa holders after receiving information about asylum applications from US Citizenship and Immigration Services, according to the documents obtained by the AP.
The administration has also targeted birth tourism, under which foreign women travel to the US to give birth so their children can benefit from birthright citizenship. Trump’s efforts to end birthright citizenship have been rejected by courts, including the Supreme Court.
