NEWS
Trump Administration Moves to Revoke Visas of Asylum Seekers in Major Immigration Crackdown
The administration of United States President Donald Trump has unveiled plans to revoke the non-immigrant visas of foreign nationals who applied for or are currently seeking asylum in the country, in what could become one of the most far-reaching visa enforcement actions in American history.
The proposed move marks the latest phase of the Trump administration’s sweeping immigration crackdown, which has increasingly targeted both undocumented migrants and foreigners who entered the United States legally.
A spokesperson for the U.S State Department disclosed on Monday that the department was working closely with the Department of Homeland Security to identify foreign nationals who entered the country on short-term visas but later sought asylum as a means of remaining in the United States permanently.
Under the proposed policy, authorities would focus on foreigners who arrived in the US claiming to be temporary visitors for business or tourism but subsequently filed asylum applications.
While the State Department did not provide an official figure for the number of visas that could be affected, reports by the Associated Press indicate that as many as 200,000 holders of business and tourism visas may be caught up in the planned revocation exercise.
If implemented on such a scale, the action could become the largest single mass revocation of US visas ever recorded.
According to documents and US officials cited by the Associated Press, the State Department is considering the revocation of B1 and B2 visas issued between 2016 and 2026 to individuals who have either sought or are currently seeking asylum in the United States.
B1 visas are generally issued to foreigners travelling to the US for temporary business purposes, while B2 visas are primarily meant for tourism, visits and other short-term activities.
However, the planned visa cancellations would not necessarily translate into the immediate deportation of those affected. Most individuals with pending asylum applications are expected to be re-categorised under the immigration system, although they would lose their legal status as temporary business or tourism visitors.
The development came as US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau intensified the administration’s criticism of the country’s asylum system, alleging in a post on X on Monday, August 24, that the American immigration system has long been overwhelmed by frivolous asylum claims.
The Trump administration has maintained that its tougher immigration policies are necessary to protect national security, tighten border controls and ensure strict compliance with US immigration laws.
Earlier this month, the State Department revealed that more than 175,000 visas belonging to foreign nationals had already been revoked under the administration’s broader immigration enforcement campaign.
With the latest proposal potentially affecting hundreds of thousands more foreign nationals, the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown appears set to enter an even more aggressive phase, raising fresh concerns among migrants, asylum seekers and immigration advocates across the United States.