Immigration Shockwave: US Prepares for Historic Mass Visa Revocation

The Trump administration is reportedly preparing what could become the largest single mass revocation of visas in U.S. history, potentially affecting up to 200,000 foreign nationals who have sought or applied for asylum.

According to State Department documents obtained by The Associated Press and two U.S. officials, the department is expected to revoke B1 business and B2 tourism visas issued between 2016 and 2026 to individuals who later sought asylum or are currently pursuing asylum claims.

The move is being coordinated with the Department of Homeland Security and is expected to face legal challenges once formally announced. State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott confirmed the coordination but said the exact number of affected individuals remains fluid as the review continues.

The proposed revocations would not automatically result in immediate deportation, as most affected individuals with pending asylum cases would instead lose their classification as business or tourism visitors.

Officials say the administration is targeting people it believes entered the United States as short-term visitors before attempting to remain permanently through asylum applications. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau has criticized the practice, arguing that asylum should not be used to circumvent U.S. immigration rules.

The State Department has already revoked about 175,000 visas over the past 18 months, including those involving criminal allegations or convictions and certain public expressions of opposition to U.S. policies.

Visa Crackdown Expands Under Trump Administration

The latest move comes amid a broader tightening of U.S. immigration and visa policies under Trump's second administration. Authorities have introduced more extensive social media screening, required costly visa bonds for some applicants and imposed restrictions on visa issuance to citizens of certain countries.

B1 visas are generally issued for business-related travel, while B2 visas cover tourism, family visits and certain medical purposes, with applicants required to demonstrate that they intend to return to their home countries. The precise number of B1 and B2 visa holders who could be affected by the proposed revocations remains unclear.

The administration has also intensified its efforts to restrict what it describes as “birth tourism,” involving foreign nationals who travel to the United States to give birth and obtain citizenship for their children.

President Trump has repeatedly sought to challenge birthright citizenship, although those efforts have faced significant legal obstacles, including rulings from the courts. The State Department documents indicate that screening of current B1 and B2 visa holders began after information about asylum applications was received from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

If implemented, the visa revocation plan would represent another major escalation in the administration's broader effort to tighten immigration enforcement and restrict pathways it views as being used to circumvent existing immigration rules.