US to Strip Up to 200,000 Asylum Seekers of Visas in Draconian Crackdown
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The State Department is set to cancel B1 and B2 visas for foreign nationals who have sought asylum, a move that threatens up to 200,000 vulnerable people and continues the administration’s harsh anti-immigrant agenda.
In a sweeping escalation of its anti-immigrant policies, the State Department announced it will begin revoking business (B1) and tourism (B2) visas issued over the past decade for foreign nationals who have dared to seek asylum after entering the United States. According to documents cited by the Associated Press, this punitive measure could impact as many as 200,000 people—many of whom are fleeing violence, persecution, and instability in their home countries.
"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 spokesperson Tommy Pigott said, echoing the administration’s ongoing efforts to criminalize migration and undermine the right to seek refuge.
The revocations will be carried out on a rolling basis, stripping people of their visitor status while their asylum cases are pending. Although this will not automatically trigger deportation, it further destabilizes already vulnerable individuals, exposing them to greater uncertainty and risk.
Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau openly condemned the use of tourist and business visas by asylum seekers, posting on X that "asylum isn’t supposed to be a loophole to circumvent immigration law." This rhetoric ignores the reality that many asylum seekers have no other safe or legal pathway to protection.
This policy is the latest in a series of draconian immigration restrictions imposed by the current administration, including harsher visa vetting, increased bond requirements, and discriminatory bans targeting citizens of certain countries. Rights groups have sounded the alarm that such crackdowns violate due-process rights and fuel racial profiling, but officials continue to justify these measures under the pretense of 'domestic security.'