US Visas: Trump Administration Plans to Cancel 200,000 Business and Tourist Visas of Asylum Seekers
- The Trump administration is preparing what could become the largest single mass visa cancellation in American history
- State Department documents reveal B1 and B2 visa holders who filed for asylum between 2016 and 2026 are being targeted
- A State Department spokesman confirmed the plan, warning that visa revocations will be carried out on a rolling basis
PAY ATTENTION: Mark YEN.com.gh as a preferred source, and our content will appear higher in your Google feed!
The Trump administration is preparing to revoke the business and tourist visas of up to 200,000 foreigners who have applied for or hold active asylum cases in the United States, according to State Department documents obtained by the Associated Press and two anonymous US government officials.
Source: Getty Images
The planned action, which the State Department is expected to announce formally within weeks, would target holders of B1 and B2 visas issued between 2016 and 2026 who subsequently filed for asylum.
The move is being coordinated with the Department of Homeland Security and is widely expected to face legal challenges.
US State Department confirms plan
State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott confirmed the move, stating: "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." Pigott stopped short of giving a precise figure, noting the total "remains dynamic and will be done on a rolling basis."
B1 visas are issued for short-term business travel, while B2 visas cover tourism, family visits, and medical care. People currently applying for either visa category are already required to declare that they will not seek asylum and must demonstrate an intention to return to their home country.
What US visa revocation would mean
The two officials who spoke on condition of anonymity, because the plan had not yet been finalised, said that losing a visa would not automatically result in deportation.
Most affected individuals with pending asylum cases would be reclassified rather than immediately removed, but would no longer hold valid travel status under those visa categories.
Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau publicly challenged what he described as deliberate abuse of the visa system on Monday, writing on X:
"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."
He pointed to the case of a Colombian national who entered the US on a tourist visa in 2015 and later applied for asylum as an illustration of the practice the administration is seeking to stop.
Part of a broader immigration crackdown
This latest move fits into a wider pattern of immigration enforcement since President Donald Trump returned to office.
The administration has already introduced demands for social media histories from visa applicants, required costly bonds for visa processing, and banned visa issuance for citizens of certain countries.
In the 18 months before this announcement, the State Department had cancelled approximately 175,000 visas held by individuals convicted or accused of offences ranging from drunk driving to robbery and sexual violence, as well as those who had publicly criticised US foreign policy.
State Department documents indicate that screening of existing B1 and B2 holders began after the agency received asylum data from the Citizenship and Immigration Services.
Don't miss out! Get your daily dose of sports news straight to your phone. Join YEN's Sports News channel on WhatsApp now!
Source: YEN.com.gh
