US set for largest mass visa revocation in history targeting up to
200,000 foreigners, officials say
[August 25, 2026]
By MATTHEW LEE
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration is preparing to revoke the
business and tourism visas of up to 200,000 foreigners who have applied
for or are currently seeking asylum status in the United States. If it
happens, the move would be the largest single mass revocation of visas
in U.S. history and would likely face legal challenges.
Unless challenged or revised, the State Department is expected to
announce in the coming weeks the revocation of so-called B1 and B2 visas
issued between 2016 and 2026 whose holders have sought asylum or are now
seeking asylum, according to State Department documents obtained by The
Associated Press and two U.S. officials. The action will be taken in
coordination with the Department of Homeland Security.
“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,”
said State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott.
He declined to comment on the number of visas that might be revoked,
saying "as the process will be ongoing, the number of revocations
remains dynamic and will be done on a rolling basis.”
The revocations would not necessarily result in their immediate
deportation, the officials said. Most of those with asylum cases
currently pending would be recategorized but would lose their status as
business or tourism travelers, according to the officials, who spoke on
condition of anonymity because the revocations are not final yet.
Since President Donald Trump took office for his second term last year,
his administration has steadily ramped up restrictions on visa
applicants — demanding more information about their social media
histories, requiring the posting of expensive bonds for the processing
of visas, and outright banning the issuance of visas to citizens of
certain countries.
In a social media post on Monday, Deputy Secretary of State Christopher
Landau called out people who he said try to use tourist and business
visas to get into the United States and then apply for asylum.
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“People in the US and all over the world are fed up with bogus
asylum claims,” Landau wrote on X. “Asylum isn’t supposed to be a
loophole to circumvent immigration law.” Landau cited the case of a
Colombian citizen who came to the U.S. in 2015 on a tourist visa and
then applied for asylum.
B1 visas are generally issued for business trips and B2 visas are
generally issued for tourism, family visits or medical care. It was
not immediately clear from the documents or the officials how many
of these visa holders are seeking or have sought asylum in the
United States and would be affected by the revocations.
Current applicants for B1 and B2 visas are asked to affirm that they
will not apply for asylum in the United States and prove that they
intend to return to their home countries.
In the past 18 months, the State Department has revoked about
175,000 visas for people who have been convicted or accused of
crimes ranging from drunken driving to rape and robbery, as well as
for people who have spoken out publicly against U.S. policies,
particularly in the Middle East.
The administration has also moved to crack down on so-called birth
tourism, a practice the administration claims is used by foreign
pregnant women to come to the United States to give birth so that
their child will benefit from birthright citizenship. Trump has
tried several times to end birthright citizenship, but those
challenges have been rejected by courts, including the Supreme
Court.
The State Department documents obtained by the AP suggest screening
of current B1 and B2 visa holders began after the State Department
received information about asylum requests from the U.S. Citizenship
and Immigration Services.
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