The Trump administration is preparing to revoke business and tourist visas for up to 200,000 foreign nationals, a move that could become the largest mass visa cancellation in US history, according to a new report.
The planned action would focus on B1 and B2 visa holders whose visas were issued between 2016 and 2026 and who have applied for asylum or are currently seeking it, the Associated Press reported Monday, citing State Department records and US officials.
B1 visas are commonly used by people traveling to the United States for business, while B2 visas are typically granted to tourists, family visitors and foreign nationals seeking medical treatment in the country.
The State Department is expected to formally unveil the visa revocations in the “coming weeks,” with the effort being carried out in coordination 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 told the outlet.
Pigott did not confirm how many visas could ultimately be canceled, saying the review remains “ongoing,” “dynamic” and will proceed “on a rolling basis.”
US officials indicated that a revoked visa would not automatically lead to immediate deportation, but affected individuals would lose their legal status as business or tourism visitors right away.
The expected policy, likely to draw legal challenges, would mark another step in President Trump’s broader push to tighten the US visa system.
The Trump administration has previously moved to investigate applicants’ social media histories, require bonds for the processing of visas and banned the issuance of visas to citizens of certain countries.
Since the start of Trump’s second term, the State Department has revoked about 175,000 visas for people convicted or accused of criminal activity or who have spoken out publicly against US policies.
Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau on Monday charged that foreign nationals have been using tourist and business visas as a way to get into the US to then apply for asylum, in an effort to remain in the country indefinitely.
“People in the US and all over the world are fed up with bogus asylum claims,” Landau wrote on X. “Asylum isn’t supposed to be a loophole to circumvent immigration law.”
B1 and B2 visa applicants must affirm that they will not apply for asylum while in the US and prove that they intend to return to their home countries under the current process.
The potential revocations also come after the Supreme Court ruled in June that the Trump administration cannot end birthright citizenship via executive order.
Since the ruling, the Trump administration has moved to crack down on so-called birth tourism.
Administration officials contend that foreign pregnant women have been obtaining tourist visas for the sole purpose of giving birth in the US so their children can obtain the benefits of birthright citizenship.
