WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration is preparing to revoke the business and tourist visas of up to 200,000 foreigners who have applied for or are currently seeking asylum status in the United States. If it happens, the move would be the largest mass visa revocation in U.S. history and would likely face legal challenges. Unless challenged or reviewed, the State Department is expected to announce in the coming weeks the revocation of so-called B1 and B2 visas issued between 2016 and 2026 whose holders have applied for asylum or are now seeking asylum, according to State Department documents obtained by The Associated Press and two U.S. officials. The action will be taken in coordination with the Department of Homeland Security. “We are coordinating with DHS to identify and revoke the nonimmigrant visas of aliens who have come to the United States claiming to be short-term visitors, but then apply for asylum to stay here permanently,” said State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott. He declined to comment on the number of visas that could be revoked, saying that “as the process will be ongoing, the number of revocations remains dynamic and will be done on a rolling basis.” The revocations would not necessarily result in their immediate deportation, officials said. Most of those with asylum cases currently pending would be recategorized but lose their status as business or tourism travelers, according to the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the revocations are not yet final. Since President Donald Trump took office for his second term last year, his administration has steadily increased restrictions on visa applicants, requiring more information about their social media histories, requiring the posting of expensive visa processing vouchers, and outright banning the issuance of visas to citizens of certain countries. In a social media post Monday, Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau criticized people he says are trying to use tourist and business visas to enter the United States and then apply for asylum. Sign up for the Ground Game newsletter: your guide to the biggest stories in American politics, policy and elections. “People in the United States and around the world are fed up with bogus asylum claims,” Landau wrote in X. “Asylum is not supposed to be a loophole to circumvent immigration law.” Landau cited the case of a Colombian citizen who arrived in the United States in 2015 on a tourist visa and then requested asylum. B1 visas are typically issued for business travel and B2 visas are typically issued for tourism, family visits, or healthcare. It was not immediately clear from documents or officials how many of these visa holders are seeking or have sought asylum in the United States and would be affected by the revocations. Current B1 and B2 visa applicants are asked to affirm that they will not seek asylum in the United States and demonstrate that they intend to return to their home countries. In the past 18 months, the State Department has revoked about 175,000 visas for people who have been convicted or charged with crimes ranging from drunk driving to rape and robbery, as well as for people who have spoken publicly against U.S. policies, particularly in the Middle East. The administration has also moved to crack down on so-called birth tourism, a practice it claims is used by foreign pregnant women who come to the United States to give birth so that their child can benefit from birthright citizenship. Trump has tried several times to end birthright citizenship, but those challenges have been rejected by courts, including the Supreme Court. State Department documents obtained by the AP suggest that the investigation of current B1 and B2 visa holders began after the State Department received information about asylum claims from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
