WASHINGTON – The Trump administration is preparing to revoke the business and tourist visas of as many as 200,000 foreigners who have applied for asylum or are currently seeking asylum in the United States, according to U.S. officials and State Department documents obtained by the Associated Press.
Both the Associated Press and Reuters reported on August 24 that the State Department is preparing the measure in coordination with the Department of Homeland Security.
If implemented on the scale currently contemplated, AP reports that it would be the largest single mass revocation of visas in U.S. history. However, one important qualification is that the figure of 200,000 is a maximum estimate reported by AP, not a final number officially announced by the State Department. A State Department spokesperson said the number remains dynamic and that revocations would take place on a rolling basis.
The measure targets B1 and B2 nonimmigrant visas issued between 2016 and 2026 to foreigners who subsequently sought or are currently seeking asylum in the United States. B1 visas are generally used for temporary business travel, while B2 visas cover tourism and purposes such as visiting relatives or receiving medical treatment.
The State Department argues that some people entered the United States presenting themselves as temporary visitors but later filed asylum applications in an effort to remain permanently.
“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.
Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau has also criticized what the administration considers abuse of the asylum system, arguing that asylum should not serve as a way to circumvent normal immigration procedures.
An important distinction is that having a visa revoked does not automatically mean that someone will immediately be deported from the United States.
According to AP, many people with pending asylum cases would lose their status as business or tourist travelers but could be reclassified depending on their individual immigration circumstances. Their ability to remain in the country would therefore depend on their specific legal status and asylum proceedings.
The proposal should also not be interpreted as meaning that simply applying for asylum is illegal. U.S. law provides a legal process for people to seek asylum. The administration’s position is instead that individuals who obtained temporary visitor visas by representing that they intended only a temporary stay should not subsequently use those visas as a pathway to remain permanently.
The initiative is part of a much broader tightening of U.S. immigration and visa policy during President Donald Trump’s second term.
The State Department says more than 175,000 visas have already been revoked under the current administration. The United States has also expanded scrutiny of visa applicants and recently made permanent a visa-bond program under which certain B1/B2 applicants can be required to post substantial financial bonds.
That development is particularly relevant to the Caribbean. Venezuela is currently among the countries whose nationals can be subject to the U.S. visa-bond requirement when applying on a Venezuelan passport.
The mass-revocation plan has not yet been fully implemented. AP reports that the State Department is expected to move forward in the coming weeks unless the policy is revised or challenged. Legal challenges are considered likely.
For travelers in Curaçao and elsewhere in the Caribbean, the measure does not mean that ordinary holders of valid B1/B2 visas are losing their visas. The reported action specifically concerns people who received B1/B2 visas during the targeted period and subsequently sought or are currently seeking asylum in the United States.