Trump plans to revoke 200,000 visas from asylum seekers

The Trump administration is preparing to revoke the business and tourism visas of up to 200,000 foreigners who have applied for or are currently seeking asylum in the United States, in what would be the largest single visa revocation in U.S. history, the Associated Press reported on Monday.reuters+1

Targeting Short-Term Visitors Who Filed for Asylum

The planned mass cancellation targets individuals who applied for B1 and B2 visas — which cover business trips, tourism, family visits, and medical care — between 2016 and 2026 and subsequently filed for asylum, according to State Department documents obtained by the AP and two U.S. officials.yahoo+1

"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 AP.independent+1

Part of a Broader Immigration Crackdown

The move comes as the administration pursues what officials have described as the largest comprehensive review of outstanding visas in recent history, alongside President Trump's broader mass deportation efforts. Since Trump took office in January 2025, the administration has already revoked more than 175,000 visas from foreign nationals, according to the State Department — quadruple the pace of the final year of the Biden administration, according to an analysis by The Guardian.justthenews+1

The administration has moved aggressively to tighten immigration requirements, halt refugee resettlement, and cancel scores of existing visas since taking power. The planned revocation of up to 200,000 additional visas would represent a further escalation of those efforts.yahoo