Trump Admin Prepares To Revoke More Visas Than Ever Before

The Trump administration is preparing to revoke up to 200,000 visas issued to foreigners who later sought asylum in the United States, part of an effort to crack down on what officials say is abuse of the immigration system, The Associated Press reported Monday.

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The State Department is expected to announce the effort soon, targeting foreigners with B1 and B2 business and tourist visas issued between 2016 and 2026 who later applied for asylum, according to the AP. The administration says some foreigners are obtaining temporary visas under false pretenses and then using the asylum process to remain in the United States.

“We are coordinating with DHS 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 said in a statement to the AP.

Pigott did not reveal the exact number of foreigners the State Department is hoping to target, saying “as the process will be ongoing, the number of revocations remains dynamic and will be done on a rolling basis.”

Revoking the visas would not necessarily result in immediate deportation, the AP reported. Instead, some pending asylum applications would be shifted from the affirmative asylum process to the defensive process, meaning the applicants would make their asylum cases before immigration judges while facing removal proceedings.

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In an X post Monday, Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau outlined the administration’s concerns about immigrants who officials say abuse the visa system and later apply for asylum to extend their stay in the United States. Many foreigners overstay their visas and use the years-long asylum adjudication process to remain in the country beyond their welcome.

“People in the US and all over the world are fed up with bogus asylum claims. Asylum isn’t supposed to be a loophole to circumvent immigration laws; rather, it’s supposed to provide a narrow safe harbor for persons persecuted because of their “race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion,” Landau wrote.

Since President Donald Trump’s return to the White House, the administration has taken a series of steps to tighten restrictions on legal immigration programs. In doing so, officials have revoked roughly 175,000 visas tied to individuals accused or convicted of crimes.

As part of the latest initiative, federal officials have sought to target birth tourism schemes coaching foreigners on how to fraudulently obtain visas in order to give birth in the United States.

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