US to rescind 200,000 business and travel visas from those seeking asylum: report

The Trump administration is reportedly planning to rescind up to 200,000 business and tourism visas, the Associated Press reports.

The alleged plan could amount to the largest mass cancelation of visas in U.S. history.

“We are coordinating with [the Department of Homeland Security] to identify and revoke the nonimmigrant 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 told The Independent in a statement. “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.”

The mass cancelation would apply to individuals who were issued B1 and B2 visas between 2016 and 2026 then sought asylum, according to the AP.

The visas, respectively, cover business trips and voyages for other common reasons such as tourism, family visits and medical care.

“It’s shocking from an historical perspective,” Yael Schacher, director for the Americas and Europe at the humanitarian group Refugees International, wrote on Bluesky, arguing the “crazy” policy was part of the “delegalization of people who applied and were given permission to enter” the country.

The visa plan would likely face strong challenges in court, as have many of the Trump administration’s immigration efforts.

Last week, a federal judge struck down a Trump administration policy that suspended visa processing for nationals from 75 countries whose citizens were deemed likely to need public assistance upon coming to the U.S.

The Trump administration has moved aggressively to tighten immigration requirements, halt refugee resettlement and cancel scores of existing visas.

Since Trump took office, his administration has revoked more than 175,000 visas from foreign nationals, according to the State Department.

That’s quadruple the pace of the final year of the Biden administration, an analysis by The Guardian found.

The president has also sought to revoke the legal status of hundreds of thousands of people who came into the U.S. legally under a Biden-era immigration parole program.

The White House is pushing to permanently impose a $100,000 fee on businesses seeking H-1B visas for high-skill workers, despite a federal judge previously striking down a similar plan.