U.S. plans to revoke visas of up to 200,000 foreigners seeking asylum

The State Department documents obtained by the AP suggest screening of current B1 and B2 visa holders began after the State Department received information about asylum requests from the Citizen and Immigration Service.

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If the plan is enacted, it would be the largest visa revocation program in the U.S., as the current administration seeks to deliver on President Donald Trump's promise to deport record numbers of immigrants either in the U.S. illegally or who had overstayed their visas.

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While the plan will be carried out in coordination with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), officials there deferred to the State Department when reached by Newsweek Monday afternoon.

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Unlike immigrant visas or green cards, B visas are considered nonimmigrant visas, meaning applicants are expected to demonstrate that they intend to visit the United States temporarily and return to their home country.

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"These types of visas are issued with the clear understanding that they are for those who intend to return home. Obtaining a visa in order to seek asylum is fraud—which is grounds for visa revocation," Piggott said.

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Immigration advocates and legal experts are likely to challenge the move, as U.S. law does allow people physically present in the country to seek asylum regardless of how they entered, provided they meet statutory requirements and are not otherwise barred from protection.

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Federal asylum law permits eligible applicants to seek refuge after entry, and immigration courts ultimately determine whether those claims are valid.

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The visas at the center of the administration's latest move are among the most commonly issued U.S. travel documents.

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They do not provide a direct pathway to permanent residence, employment authorization or long-term legal status.

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In many cases, applicants receive a combined B-1/B-2 visa that permits both types of travel.

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A central issue in the debate is whether applying for asylum after arriving on a visitor visa should automatically be viewed as evidence that the visa was obtained under false pretenses.

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The administration's proposal, therefore, touches on a longstanding dispute over how much weight should be given to a person's intent at the time a visa was issued versus their circumstances after arrival.

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The administration has increasingly argued that many asylum claims are being used as a way to circumvent ordinary immigration rules.

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Federal asylum law permits eligible applicants to seek refuge after entry, and immigration courts ultimately determine whether those claims are valid.

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Last month, the Trump administration started to cut off asylum seekers’ access to interviews to weigh their claims, instead allowing officers to funnel migrants into immigration court for deportation proceedings.

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Migrants could be quickly funneled into the immigration court system without a chance to make their case to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

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President Trump has sought to ramp up restrictions on visas for asylum applicants since he returned to the White House last year.

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It didn't say how many visas would be affected, but the Associated Press put the number at up to 200,000, citing State Department documents and two US officials.

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Despite campaigning largely on illegal immigration, the administration has also tightened legal immigration pathways, including through new, costly fees for certain work visa applicants.

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Several aspects of the crackdown are facing ongoing legal challenges.

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The United States is reportedly planning to revoke hundreds of thousands of visas, the largest such revocation in U.S. history.

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The Trump administration has already revoked around 175,000 visas over criminal activity, meaning this move would double the number of visas revoked since President Donald Trump took office in January 2025.

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The visa revocation wouldn’t trigger immediate deportation or even invalidate their asylum claim if it was being processed, but would heavily incentivize them to leave the U.S.

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Wary that a near-identical effort from Trump last year was shot down in the courts, this new move justified itself by using the proposed fees to contribute toward the legal immigration system, providing $3 billion annually, including $1 billion to Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

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The planned operation isn’t the latest move targeting foreigners staying in the U.S. on visas either.

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Wary that a near-identical effort from Trump last year was shot down in the courts, this new move justified itself by using the proposed fees to contribute toward the legal immigration system, providing $3 billion annually, including $1 billion to Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

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