US Set to Strip Visas From 200,000 Foreign Nationals in Massive Asylum Crackdown

The Trump administration is preparing to revoke the business and tourist visas of up to 200,000 foreign nationals who have applied for, or are currently seeking, asylum in the United States. If carried out, the move would amount to the largest single mass visa revocation in US history.

The crackdown would target people who entered on B-1 or B-2 visas between 2016 and 2026 and later sought asylum, according to two senior State Department officials who spoke on condition of anonymity. The State Department and Homeland Security are working to identify those affected and cancel their visitor visas.

The revocations would not automatically mean deportation. However, they could remove a form of immigration status from tens of thousands of people already living in the US.

Who Faces the Visa Crackdown

The proposed action would focus on foreign nationals initially admitted to the US as short-term visitors who later applied for asylum. The administration views some of those cases as evidence that people used temporary visas to enter the country before attempting to remain permanently.

US officials have framed the effort as part of a wider campaign against what the administration describes as fraudulent or 'bogus' asylum claims. The planned operation would involve matching visa records with asylum applications to identify people whose visitor visas could be revoked.

Applying for asylum after entering on a valid visitor visa is not, in itself, proof of fraud. Asylum seekers can argue that circumstances in their home country changed after they arrived, or that they developed a fear of persecution after entering the US.

That distinction is likely to become central if the policy reaches the courts.

What Visa Revocation Actually Means

The cancellation of a B-1 or B-2 visa does not automatically end an asylum case or trigger an immediate removal from the United States. People with pending asylum applications may have separate immigration proceedings and protections that are not erased simply because their original visitor visa is revoked.

A US visa generally allows a foreign national to seek admission at a port of entry, rather than guaranteeing the right to remain in the country indefinitely. Once inside the US, a person's immigration status can depend on several factors, including an asylum application, a work permit or a decision by an immigration court.

The practical consequences could therefore vary widely. Some affected people may already have another lawful basis for remaining in the country while their cases are pending, while others could face greater uncertainty about their status.

The Plan Follows 175,000 Earlier Visa Cancellations

The proposed mass revocation follows the State Department's cancellation of more than 175,000 visas during the Trump administration's broader immigration crackdown. Those revocations involved foreign nationals accused of violating visa terms, crimes, violence, fraud or other conduct threatening public safety or national security.

The department said criminal cases accounted for many of the cancellations. The new proposal would differ in its potential scale and the way people would be selected.

Rather than focusing primarily on alleged criminal conduct or individual security concerns, it would target a broad category of visa holders who later entered the US asylum system.

Legal Challenges Could Follow a Record-Setting Move

The administration's legal authority is expected to be challenged if the plan is formally implemented. The Trump administration has already faced judicial setbacks over other immigration restrictions.

Just days before the latest proposal emerged, a federal judge struck down an administration policy that had suspended immigrant visa processing for nationals of 75 countries. The judge found that the policy exceeded the authority granted under federal immigration law.

The asylum-related visa plan is therefore likely to face a separate legal test. Supporters of the crackdown are expected to argue that the government has broad authority to revoke visas and police abuse of the immigration system.

For now, the proposal remains a planned action rather than a completed mass cancellation. But with as many as 200,000 people potentially affected, the policy has become one of the Trump administration's most significant immigration moves of 2026.