WASHINGTON
\nPresident Donald Trump\u2019s administration said on Monday it planned to revoke the non-immigrant visas of foreigners who have applied for or are currently seeking asylum status in the US, marking its latest step in a sweeping immigration crackdown.
\nA State Department spokesman said it was coordinating with the Department of Homeland Security \u201cto identify and revoke the non-immigrant visas of foreigners who have come \u200cto the United States \u200cclaiming to be short-term visitors, but then \u200cfile for asylum to stay here permanently.\u201d
\nThe State Department statement did not specify the number of visas that will be revoked in the process.
\n\u2022 Trump has pursued an aggressive immigration crackdown\u200c
\n\u2022 Rights groups say crackdown has violated free speech, due process rights
\n\u2022 State Dept says it will coordinate with DHS to revoke visas
\nThe Associated Press put the number of foreigners whose business and tourism visas is planned to be revoked at up to 200,000, which if materialized, would be the largest single mass revocation of visas in US history. The AP cited State Department documents and two US officials.
\nThe State Department will revoke so-called \u200cB1 and B2 visas issued between 2016 \u200cand 2026 whose holders have sought asylum or are now seeking asylum, the \u200cAP report added. The B1 and B2 non-immigrant visas are issued for \u200cbusiness and tourism travel.
\nThe visa revocations would not necessarily result in immediate deportation, the media report said, adding that most of those with asylum cases currently pending would be re-categorized but would lose their status as business or tourism travelers.
\nEarlier \u200con Monday, Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau alleged on X that the American immigration system \u201chas long been swamped by frivolous asylum claims.\u201d The State Department said earlier this month that under the Trump administration, it has revoked more than 175,000 visas of foreign nationals.
\nTrump has pursued an immigration crackdown that includes revocations of visas and green cards and an aggressive deportation drive.He says the crackdown aims to improve domestic security. Rights groups say the crackdown has violated free speech and due process rights and created an unsafe environment, particularly for ethnic minorities, who have raised concerns about racial profiling.
\nWhile Trump campaigned in 2024 on a platform of stopping illegal immigration, his administration has also made legal immigration more difficult \u2014 for example, by imposing new and expensive fees for applicants of certain work visas. The government\u2019s crackdown has faced legal challenges. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
WASHINGTON President Donald Trump\u2019s administration said on Monday it planned to revoke the non-immigrant visas of foreigners who have applied for or are currently seeking asylum status in the US, marking its latest step in a sweeping immigration crackdown. A State Department spokesman said it was coordinating with the Department of Homeland Security \u201cto identify […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":564070,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-564067","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-world"],"yoast_head":"\n