Up To 200,000 Foreigners May Be Affected As US Targets Visa Holders Seeking Asylum.

 

The administration of US President Donald Trump has announced plans to revoke the non-immigrant visas of foreign nationals who entered the United States as short-term visitors but later applied for or are seeking asylum.

The move is part of the Trump administration’s wider immigration crackdown, which has targeted both undocumented migrants and legal immigration pathways.

A spokesperson for the US State Department said the agency was working with the Department of Homeland Security to identify foreigners who entered the country on non-immigrant visas but later filed asylum applications in an effort to remain in the United States permanently.

According to the Associated Press, as many as 200,000 holders of business and tourist visas could be affected by the planned policy, citing State Department documents and two US officials.

If implemented on that scale, the measure could become one of the largest mass visa revocations in US history.

The report stated that the State Department plans to target B1 and B2 visas issued between 2016 and 2026 to individuals who have either applied for or are currently seeking asylum.

B1 and B2 visas are non-immigrant visas primarily issued for temporary business and tourism purposes.

However, the planned visa revocations would not automatically lead to the immediate deportation of affected individuals. Most people with pending asylum applications could instead be reclassified while losing their status as business or tourist visitors.

US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau also criticised what he described as the growing number of frivolous asylum claims, saying the country’s immigration system had been overwhelmed by such applications.

The Trump administration has maintained that its immigration measures are aimed at strengthening domestic security and enforcing US immigration laws.

Rights groups, however, have criticised the broader crackdown, arguing that some of the administration’s policies could undermine due process and other legal protections for migrants.