The Trump administration announced plans to revoke the non-immigrant B1 (business) and B2 (tourism) visas of up to 200,000 foreigners who have applied for or are currently seeking asylum status in the United States. The visas targeted for revocation were issued between 2016 and 2026, according to officials familiar with the policy [1, 2, 3].
The revocations are being coordinated between the State Department and Department of Homeland Security. Tommy Pigott, a State Department spokesman, said, "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" [2].
While revocation of these visas removes business and tourist status, it does not necessarily lead to immediate deportation. Most applicants with pending asylum claims will be reclassified but lose eligibility under B1 or B2 visa categories [1, 4]. Since Donald Trump assumed office for his second term in 2024, the administration has already revoked over 175,000 such visas under similar policies [1, 3, 5].
The visa revocations will take place on a rolling basis over the coming weeks, with the exact total subject to change [4, 6]. The Trump administration has increasingly tightened visa restrictions, including enforcing stricter requirements for social media disclosures and banning visas for some countries [2, 5].
US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau criticized what he called "frivolous" asylum claims. He said, "People in the US and all over the world are fed up with bogus asylum claims. Asylum isn’t supposed to be a loophole to circumvent immigration law" [7].
Rights groups have raised concerns that the crackdown violates free speech and due process, and may lead to racial profiling, especially impacting ethnic minorities [1, 3].
The administration’s next step will be the official announcement and implementation of the visa revocations expected within the coming weeks [2, 4].
