The Trump administration is preparing to revoke the business and tourism visas of up to 200,000 foreigners who have applied for or are currently seeking asylum in the United States. According to State Department documents and two U.S. officials, the action would target individuals who hold B1 and B2 visas issued between 2016 and 2026. The State Department is expected to announce the measure in the coming weeks in coordination with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott stated that the agency is working with DHS to identify visa holders who entered the U.S. as short-term visitors but subsequently filed for asylum. Pigott said the number of revocations is dynamic and will occur on a rolling basis. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau stated on Monday that asylum should not be used as a "loophole" for those entering on tourist or business visas, citing a case involving a Colombian citizen as an example of the practice.
Officials noted that the revocations would not necessarily result in immediate deportation. Instead, most individuals with pending asylum cases would be recategorized, losing their legal status as business or tourism travelers. This proposal follows other administration policies, such as requiring social media histories and bonds for visa applicants. The State Department has also revoked approximately 175,000 visas in the last 18 months for reasons ranging from criminal accusations to public opposition to U.S. policies.
For the affected individuals, the concrete day-to-day change is a loss of their underlying nonimmigrant traveler status. While officials say this does not trigger immediate deportation for those with pending asylum claims, it removes the legal authorization they previously held as visitors. Under current rules, B1 and B2 applicants must prove an intent to return home and affirm they will not seek asylum; this move enforces those affirmations by terminating the visas of those who did apply for protection.
The policy sets a precedent for how U.S. agencies share data, as the State Department began screening visa holders after receiving asylum request information from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), the agency that processes naturalization and asylum applications. The administration has also sought to restrict "birth tourism" and end birthright citizenship, though the latter has been rejected by the Supreme Court. The formal announcement is expected in the coming weeks, though the exact effective date for the rolling revocations has not yet been reported.