Trump Administration Prepares Largest Mass Visa Revocation in U.S. History, Targeting Up to 200,000 Foreigners
The Trump administration is preparing to revoke the business and tourism visas of as many as 200,000 foreign nationals who entered the United States as temporary visitors before applying for asylum, potentially making it the largest single mass visa revocation in American history.
The State Department is expected to begin revoking B1 and B2 visas issued between 2016 and 2026 to people who later sought or are currently seeking asylum in the United States. The effort will be conducted in coordination with the Department of Homeland Security and implemented on a rolling basis.
B1 visas are generally issued to people temporarily visiting the United States for business, while B2 visas cover tourism, family visits and certain medical travel. Applicants are expected to demonstrate that their visit is temporary and that they intend to return to their home country.
Trump administration officials argue that some foreigners have exploited that system by obtaining temporary visas and then filing asylum claims after arriving in the United States. State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott confirmed that the government is working to identify people who entered as short-term visitors but subsequently sought asylum to remain permanently.
Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau has been particularly outspoken about the issue, arguing that asylum should not become a loophole allowing people to circumvent the country’s regular immigration system. The administration maintains that people who genuinely intend to seek permanent protection should not represent themselves as temporary visitors when applying for visas.
The reported 200,000 figure is not yet final. Pigott said the number will remain dynamic as officials continue identifying cases, meaning the ultimate total could change as the State Department and DHS review individual visa holders.
Losing a B1 or B2 visa would also not automatically mean immediate deportation. Officials said many people with pending asylum applications would instead be reclassified under their asylum cases while losing their status as business or tourist visitors.
The move represents another major expansion of the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown. Since Trump returned to office, the State Department has already revoked roughly 175,000 visas, while the administration has increased scrutiny of applicants, expanded examination of social-media activity and imposed additional requirements on some foreign visitors.
The administration has also imposed visa restrictions on nationals from certain countries and expanded efforts against so-called birth tourism, in which foreign nationals are accused of using temporary visits to give birth in the United States so their children receive American citizenship.
The planned revocations are expected to face legal challenges. Immigration advocates and affected visa holders could argue that applying for asylum is a legal right and that doing so after entering on a temporary visa does not automatically establish that an applicant misrepresented their intentions when originally seeking entry.
Administration officials, however, are framing the initiative as an enforcement issue rather than an attack on legitimate asylum. Their argument is that temporary visas should not serve as an alternative pathway for people who intended from the beginning to remain permanently in the United States.
If the administration ultimately proceeds with the full 200,000 revocations, the action would be unprecedented in scale. It would also represent one of Trump’s most aggressive moves yet to tighten legal immigration channels alongside his broader crackdown on illegal immigration and what his administration considers abuse of America’s asylum system.