Historic 200,000 US Visa Revocations Reach Back a Decade, Affecting Legal Visitors Who Applied for Asylum

The Trump administration is preparing to strip business and tourism visas from up to 200,000 foreigners who later sought asylum, reaching back to visas issued in 2016 in what would be the largest single visa revocation in US history.

The State Department, led by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, is expected to announce the revocations within weeks, targeting B1 and B2 visas issued between 2016 and 2026 whose holders have applied for asylum or are seeking it now. The action would be carried out with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

'We are coordinating with DHS to identify and revoke the non-immigrant visas of foreigners who have come to the United States claiming to be short-term visitors, but then file for asylum to stay here permanently,' State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said. He said the total would stay dynamic and be handled on a rolling basis.

The Decade-Long Look-Back

The headline number has drawn most of the attention, but the reach is the detail that stands out. By covering visas granted across a full decade, the plan could sweep up people who entered the US legally years ago and whose home-country conditions later worsened, pushing them to seek asylum.

State Department documents obtained by the Associated Press (AP) indicate screening of current B1 and B2 holders began after officials received asylum data from US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).

A Tightening Trap for Visitors

Anyone applying for a B1 or B2 visa today must affirm they will not seek asylum and prove they plan to return home. The planned revocations suggest the government may treat a later asylum claim as grounds to cancel a visa granted years earlier, even when the original trip was lawful.

Business visas cover work trips, while tourism visas cover holidays, family visits, and medical care, so employers and mixed-status families could feel the effects.

'Fed up With Bogus Asylum Claims'

Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau defended the plan on X. 'People in the US and all over the world are fed up with bogus asylum claims,' he wrote. 'Asylum isn't supposed to be a loophole to circumvent immigration law.' He pointed to a Colombian citizen who arrived on a tourist visa in 2015 and later applied for asylum.

Over the past 18 months, the State Department has revoked about 175,000 visas over alleged crimes or public criticism of US policy.

Legal Fight Ahead

The move would likely draw court challenges. Immigration attorneys are expected to argue that applying for asylum is lawful and that filing a claim does not prove someone lied to obtain a visitor visa. The administration counters that consular officials hold broad authority over visas and need not preserve a travel document once a holder signals an intent to stay.

Losing a visa would not automatically trigger deportation. Two US officials who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity said most people with pending asylum cases would be re-categorised and lose their status as business or tourism travellers, rather than face removal straight away.

It remains unclear how many of the up-to-200,000 holders hold active asylum claims, leaving thousands who arrived legally over the past decade waiting to learn whether their status is next.