Holders of B1 and B2 visas who have applied for asylum now risk having those visas revoked, the Trump administration announced, a step that could affect a large number of short-term visitors. The State Department said it is working with the Department of Homeland Security to identify and cancel non-immigrant visas for people who arrived as business or tourist travelers and then filed for asylum. A department spokesperson described the goal as identifying those who “have come to the United States claiming to be short-term visitors, but then file for asylum to stay here permanently.”
The State Department has not published a final tally. Reporting by the Associated Press, citing department documents and two US officials, put the potential number at up to 200,000, which if realised would be the largest single mass revocation of visas in US history. The AP said the target set includes B1 and B2 visas issued between 2016 and 2026. B1 and B2 visas are non-immigrant permits for business and tourism travel.
Visa cancellations would not automatically translate into immediate deportations, according to the AP account, since many asylum cases remain pending. Those applicants would typically be reclassified and lose their status as business or tourism visitors, changing their legal footing while their claims proceed.
The announcement follows other recent moves by the administration. Earlier this month the State Department said it had already revoked more than 175,000 visas under the current administration. The broader enforcement campaign has included revocations of visas and green cards and a push on deportations, measures the president says are intended to improve domestic security.
Critics, including civil rights organisations, say the measures have undermined free speech and due process and created unsafe conditions, especially for ethnic minorities who have voiced concerns about racial profiling. US deputy secretary of state Christopher Landau, posting on X, said the American immigration system “has long been swamped by frivolous asylum claims.” The government’s tightened rules have also made some legal immigration pathways harder, for example by adding new and costly fees for certain work-visa applicants.
The policy faces legal scrutiny and is likely to be contested in court as agencies move from identification to revocation. The State Department’s coordination with DHS signals enforcement will continue, but the scale and immediate consequences for individual asylum applicants will depend on how officials apply the new directive and how judges respond to forthcoming challenges.
