As part of United States President Donald Trump's continued restrictions on visa applicants, the US government is now planning to revoke business and tourism visas of around 200,000 individuals who have either applied for or are currently seeking asylum in the country, according to a report by the Associated Press on 25 August.
If this materializes, it will be the largest mass revocation of visas in the history of the United States. The move can also face legal challenges. The State Department will make the announcement in the coming weeks, unless it is revised or challenged.
The State Department is expected to revoke B1 and B2 visas issued between 2016 and 2026 to people who have sought asylum or are currently seeking one, AP reported, citing documents it accessed and two officials familiar with the matter.
“We are coordinating with DHS to identify and revoke the non-immigrant 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,” Tommy Piggot, spokesperson of the US State Department, told AP.
However, Pigott did not reveal the number of visas the State Department is targeting, since the process will be ongoing, the number of revocations remains dynamic and will be done on a rolling basis.”
Will revocations lead to immediate deportation?
The revocations would not immediately lead to deportation, the officials told AP. Most asylum cases currently pending approval would be recategorised once the revocations are announced, and these individuals would lose their status as tourism or business travellers, the officials said.
Christopher Landau, the Deputy Secretary of State, in a social media post on Monday, called out individuals who, according to him, are using either business or tourist visas to enter the US, after which they apply for asylum.
“People in the US and all over the world are fed up with bogus asylum claims,” Landau said on social media platform X, adding, “Asylum isn’t supposed to be a loophole to circumvent immigration law.”
Applicants for B1 visas, which are issued for business trips, and for B2 visas, which are issued for tourists, are now being asked to confirm that they would not seek asylum in the country and to prove that they intend to return to their home countries.
Around 175,000 visas have been revoked by the US administration in the last 18 months. These were people who were either convicted of or accused of crimes in the US. These crimes range from anything like drunk driving to much more serious charges like rape and robbery. Visas of those who have been publicly vocal against US policies (mainly regarding its actions in the Middle East) have also met the same fate.
