The Trump administration is preparing to cancel business and tourism visas held by as many as 200,000 foreigners who have applied for or are currently pursuing asylum in the United States, according to State Department documents and two US officials. US President Donald Trump in a past address from The White House. The State Department is expected to announce the revocations within the coming weeks, targeting so-called B1 and B2 visas issued between 2016 and 2026 whose holders have sought or are actively seeking asylum. The action is being coordinated with the Department of Homeland Security. State Department Confirms Coordinated Action State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott confirmed the initiative, saying the government was working with DHS to identify and cancel the nonimmigrant visas of foreigners who entered the country presenting themselves as short-term visitors before later filing for asylum to remain permanently. Pigott declined to specify how many visas could ultimately be affected, noting that “as the process will be ongoing, the number of revocations remains dynamic and will be done on a rolling basis.”
The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity as the revocations are not yet final, said the action would not automatically trigger immediate deportation. Most individuals with pending asylum cases would be recategorised rather than removed outright, though they would lose their standing as business or tourism travellers. If carried through at the scale described, the move would represent the largest single mass revocation of visas in US history and is widely expected to face legal challenges. Part of Broader Visa Crackdown The planned revocations form part of a wider pattern of immigration restrictions that the administration has pursued since President Donald Trump began his second term. Measures already introduced include demands for extensive social media records from visa applicants, requirements for costly bonds to be posted during visa processing, and outright bans on visa issuance to nationals of specific countries. The use of B1 and B2 visas, which are intended for temporary stays related to business or tourism, has long been a source of tension in US immigration policy. Critics of the asylum system have argued that some applicants use short-term visas as a pathway to file for longer-term protection, while immigration advocates maintain that seeking asylum is a legal right regardless of how an individual entered the country. The State Department has not yet set a confirmed date for the announcement, and the officials cautioned that the scope of the revocations could still change before any formal action is taken.
