The Trump administration announced on Monday that it is planning to cancel the business and tourist visas of 200,000 foreign nationals who have applied for or are currently seeking asylum in the United States.
If the measure is not successfully challenged by the courts or reviewed, it would constitute the largest one-time visa cancellation in US history.
“We are working with the Department of Homeland Security to identify and revoke the nonimmigrant visas of foreign nationals who have come to the United States claiming to be short-term visitors but have subsequently filed for asylum to remain here permanently,” said State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott.
He did not comment on the exact number of visas expected to be canceled, stating that “their number remains dynamic and the process will be carried out on an ongoing basis.”
According to documents obtained by the Associated Press and two US officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, the State Department is expected to announce in the coming weeks the cancellation of B1 and B2 visas issued during the period 2016-2026 for people who have sought or are currently seeking asylum.
B1 visas are typically issued for business travel, while B2 visas are for tourism, family visits, and medical care. Current applicants for both categories are required to confirm that they do not intend to seek asylum in the U.S. and to provide evidence that they intend to return to their countries of origin.
Officials clarified that visa cancellation would not immediately lead to the person’s deportation, but those with asylum cases still pending would lose their status as business or tourist travelers.
The move is the latest in the Trump administration’s broader crackdown on immigration, which has intensified since President Donald Trump returned to office for his second term.
The administration has already tightened restrictions on visa applicants, requiring them to submit their social media account history, imposing costly financial guarantees before visas can be processed, and imposing outright visa bans on citizens of some countries.
On Friday, a judge struck down a Trump administration policy, implemented earlier this year, that had suspended the issuance of immigrant visas to citizens of 75 countries.
U.S. District Court Judge Jeannette Vargas, appointed by former President Joe Biden, declared the policy “unconstitutional and exceeded the powers provided by law,” arguing that it violated Congress’s requirement that consular officials be on the front lines of visa decision-making.