Trump to Revoke 200K Visas from Asylum Seekers

President Donald Trump is expected to conduct the largest visa revocation in history, stripping 200,000 foreigners of their asylum status.

The business and tourism visas of 200,000 foreigners who have applied for or are currently seeking asylum will be revoked on a rolling basis, the AP first reported.

“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.

In coming weeks, the State Department will reportedly announce the revocation of B1 and B2 visas issued between 2016 and 2026 whose holders have sought asylum or are now seeking asylum.

Pigott did not confirm how many visas might be revoked, saying “as the process will be ongoing, the number of revocations remains dynamic and will be done on a rolling basis.”

This is the Trump administration’s latest step to curb illegal immigration and even slow legal immigration.

Last year, the administration started performing “continuous vetting” of more than 55 million U.S. visa holders for potential violations that could lead to revocation or deportation. Trump also ended Temporary Protective Status for Haitians and Syrians in the U.S.

Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau said on X people 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,'” he wrote.