US prepares to revoke up to 200,000 B1 and B2 visas tied to asylum filings

WASHINGTON - The Trump administration is preparing to revoke business and tourism visas for up to 200,000 foreigners who have applied for or are seeking asylum, the Associated Press reported Monday.

If carried out, officials said, the action would be the largest single mass visa revocation in U.S. history and would likely draw lawsuits. State Department documents obtained by AP, plus two U.S. officials, say the department plans to announce in coming weeks the revocation of B1 and B2 visas issued between 2016 and 2026 for holders who sought asylum or are seeking it now. Homeland Security is coordinating the effort.

State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said the agencies are identifying foreigners who entered as short-term visitors and then filed for asylum to remain permanently. He declined to lock in a final count, saying revocations would roll out and remain dynamic.

Officials said revocation would not automatically mean immediate deportation. Many people with pending asylum cases would be recategorized but would lose business or tourist status. Current B1 and B2 applicants already must affirm they will not seek asylum and that they intend to return home.

Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau wrote Monday that people are fed up with bogus asylum claims and that asylum is not meant as a loophole around immigration law. In the past 18 months the State Department has revoked about 175,000 visas for people convicted or accused of crimes and for others who publicly opposed U.S. policies. Screening of current B1 and B2 holders accelerated after USCIS shared asylum-request data with the State Department, the documents said.

Immigration lawyers expect challenges over notice, due process, and how pending asylum claims interact with visitor-status revocations. Families who host relatives on tourist visas should treat the coming announcement as a compliance event, not a rumor cycle, and check counsel before travel plans harden.