The United States plans to revoke the visas of up to 200,000 foreigners who entered the country as short-term tourists or business visitors and later sought asylum, in what the White House has called the largest mass visa revocation in US history.
What the Policy Targets
The State Department said it is working with the Department of Homeland Security to identify and cancel B1 and B2 visas issued between 2016 and 2026 to people who entered the US claiming to be short-term visitors before filing asylum claims to remain permanently. “Obtaining a visa in order to seek asylum is fraud, which is grounds for visa revocation,” State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said in a statement confirming earlier press reports about the plan. “We are making clear that a visa is a privilege, not a right.”
B1 visas are generally issued for business travel, while B2 visas cover tourism, family visits and medical treatment. The 200,000 figure is described by officials as an estimate rather than a confirmed number, with Pigott saying the review would be carried out on a rolling basis and that the count would remain “dynamic.”
Not Necessarily Immediate Deportation
According to US officials cited by the Associated Press, revocation of the business or tourist visa would not necessarily result in immediate deportation for people with pending asylum cases, as many would be shifted into a different immigration category while their cases continue. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau defended the move on social media, writing that “people in the US and all over the world are fed up with bogus asylum claims” and that “asylum isn’t supposed to be a loophole to circumvent immigration law.”
Part of a Broader Crackdown
The move is the latest step in the Trump administration’s wider effort to reduce immigration into the United States, which has included increased scrutiny of visa applicants, financial bond requirements for some applicants, and expanded restrictions on visa issuance. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has ramped up arrests in recent weeks, with agents making nearly 50,000 arrests in July alone, according to federal data compiled by the Deportation Data Project at the University of California, Berkeley.
Asylum has become an increasingly contentious political issue in the US in recent years, as large numbers of people crossed the border illegally and requested humanitarian protection, adding to an already backlogged federal immigration court system.
Why It Matters
The scale of the planned revocations, if carried out in full, would mark one of the most sweeping visa actions in US history and is widely expected to face legal challenges. The State Department has not yet announced a specific timeline for when the revocations will begin or how affected individuals will be notified.
