US may revoke visas en masse for asylum seekers

The administration of US President Donald Trump has announced plans to revoke nonimmigrant visas from foreigners who have or are currently applying for asylum in the US. According to experts, this could be the largest mass visa revocation in the country's history.

The US State Department will revoke B-1 and B-2 visas issued from 2016 to 2026 for holders who have previously or are currently applying for asylum. B-1 and B-2 nonimmigrant visas are issued for business and tourism purposes.

On August 25, State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said the measure targets "foreigners who came to the US as short-term visitors, but then filed for asylum to stay permanently."

Pigott did not specify how many visas would be revoked, but the Associated Press, citing State Department documents and two US officials, estimated that up to 200,000 people could be affected.

Why is the Trump administration tightening immigration?

This move is part of Trump's broader immigration crackdown, which has been intensified during his second term.

Trump's anti-immigration program includes revoking visas and green cards, along with aggressive deportation campaigns, including military-style raids on immigrant communities and workplaces by federal agencies such as Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Human rights groups argue these activities violate freedom of speech and due process rights. In a series of raids in Minneapolis earlier this year, a woman was shot and killed by ICE agents.

The Trump administration has also taken steps to limit those eligible for "birthright citizenship," a constitutionally protected right that allows children born in the US to automatically become citizens.

An executive order Trump signed shortly after beginning his second term in January 2025 states: if a parent is "illegally present in the US" and the other parent is not a citizen or "lawful permanent resident at the time of the child's birth," the child cannot claim birthright citizenship. The order also stipulates that if a parent is legally but temporarily present via a tourist, student, or work visa, and the other parent is not a US citizen, the child is also ineligible.

However, in July 2026, the US Supreme Court struck down that order. This month, Trump signed a new order targeting "birth tourism" and another expanding categories of individuals ineligible for birthright citizenship. Human rights organizations in the US have filed legal challenges in New Hampshire.

In a separate development earlier this month, the State Department revoked more than 175,000 visas of foreigners, primarily due to alleged criminal activity, visa violations, fraud, incitement of violence, or actions deemed threatening to national security.

The Trump administration has also tightened restrictions on visa applicants, including suspending the issuance of new visas to citizens of 75 countries. Last week, a federal judge struck down that policy, ruling it violates federal immigration law by discriminating based on nationality.

Why is the US targeting B-1 and B-2 visas?

Under standard procedures, applicants for B-1 or B-2 visas must confirm they will not seek asylum in the US and must provide evidence showing intent to return home. However, some individuals still file asylum applications after entering the US.

Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau criticized using tourist and business visas as a pathway to asylum. "Americans and people around the world are fed up with fraudulent asylum claims. Asylum is not a loophole to circumvent immigration law," he wrote on social media platform X.

Unlike the revocation of over 175,000 visas earlier this month, this latest round targets individuals who have not violated US law.

What impact could this have?

Rut Bermejo Casado, a researcher on migration and asylum policy and lecturer at Rey Juan Carlos University in Madrid, Spain, noted that revoking nonimmigrant visas does not equate to terminating asylum applications.

Those who entered the US on business or tourist visas and later apply for asylum will have legal status based on the pending asylum process, rather than their original visa. Therefore, "they will lose their temporary visitor status, but they won't necessarily be deported immediately just because the visa is revoked. Their right to pursue their asylum claim usually remains intact until a decision is made," Bermejo Casado said.

This means many asylum seekers will depend entirely on their asylum applications to stay in the US. "If the application is denied, they will no longer have any nonimmigrant status to fall back on," she said.

Second, the visa revocation could lead to legal disputes over whether the government is unfairly punishing individuals exercising rights protected under US asylum law. "Although the executive branch has broad authority in issuing and revoking visas, courts may be asked to review statutory and administrative law issues," Bermejo Casado noted.

Third, this policy could deter future asylum applications from those entering on tourist or business visas. "Even if it doesn't result in immediate deportation, this measure signals a major shift toward treating asylum applications filed after entry as evidence that temporary visas were misused," Bermejo Casado said.

"In that sense, this policy may be designed more as a deterrent and political statement than a mechanism for immediate removal."

Bermejo Casado said determining who the policy applies to will require extensive data matching between the State Department, the Department of Homeland Security, and immigration courts, which she described as an "administrative burden."

Which nationalities could be most affected?

The State Department has not released details on the nationalities of asylum seekers who entered on B-1 or B-2 visas, and such information is not publicly available.

However, Bermejo Casado suggested that the groups most likely to be affected could mirror those with the largest numbers of asylum applications in recent years.

According to US Department of Homeland Security data, the nationalities with the most approved asylum applications in recent years include Central and South American countries such as Venezuela, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras, along with others like China, Russia, Turkey, and Egypt.

Data from the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) under the US Department of Justice shows asylum applications from Haitian, Indian, Cuban, and Mexican citizens were largely denied.

However, Bermejo Casado emphasized that the actual impact will depend on the composition of those who entered on B-1 and B-2 visas and then filed for asylum. "Some nationalities generate large volumes of asylum applications through illegal border crossings rather than visa overstays or status changes, meaning they may be less affected than aggregate asylum statistics suggest," she said.