Trump Administration Reportedly Readying To Revoke Visas From Up To 200,000 Foreigners
The Trump administration is preparing to launch a mass visa revocation impacting business and tourism visas owned by up to 200,000 foreigners, the Associated Press reported, a move that would mark the largest revocation in U.S. history.
The State Department is expected to soon announce the revocation of B1 and B2 visas issued between 2016 and 2026 to people who sought asylum or are now seeking asylum, according to the AP, which cited State Department documents and two unnamed U.S. officials.
Revocations will not necessarily mean immediate deportation for those who lose their visas, the officials told AP, noting most of the people with pending asylum applications would lose their business or tourism status.
State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott confirmed the revocation to Forbes in an email, but did not confirm the number of revocations, saying the plan is to revoke “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.”
The move is expected to be challenged in court.
Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau said in a post Monday the U.S. asylum system has been hit by “frivolous” claims, “meaning that it takes years to adjudicate whether applicants are actually entitled to asylum.”
Forbes has reached out to the State Department for comment.
“As the process will be ongoing, the number of revocations remains dynamic and will be done on a rolling basis,” Pigott added.
The State Department under Trump has revoked 175,000 visas" href="https://www.fox5dc.com/news/trumps-state-department-revoked-175000-visas-since-january-2025" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">175,000 visas since President Donald Trump took office last year. The agency has claimed most of the visas revoked belonged to people accused of various crimes. The Trump administration has cut down on legal entries into the U.S. and tightened border control in various ways. Shortly after Trump took office, the appointment-scheduling feature of the Customs and Border Patrol app was removed, cancelling pending asylum appointments. Trump also declared a national emergency at the southern border, unlocking powers to send in active-duty soldiers and divert funding from the military to the wall along the border. The Department of Homeland Security reported more than 675,000 deportations in 2025, alongside an estimated 2.2 million self-deportations.