WASHINGTON — The Trump administration is preparing to revoke the U.S. business and tourism visas of as many as 200,000 foreign nationals who have applied for or are currently seeking asylum in the United States, a move that could become the largest mass visa revocation in American history.
The planned action targets B-1 business and B-2 tourist visas issued between 2016 and 2026 to people who entered the United States as temporary visitors and subsequently filed asylum claims. The State Department says it is coordinating with the Department of Homeland Security to identify affected visa holders.
Why the U.S. is targeting these visas
The administration argues that B-1 and B-2 visas are designed for temporary visits—not for people who enter the country and then seek to remain permanently through the asylum system.
State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said the government is working with DHS to revoke nonimmigrant visas held by people who arrived claiming to be short-term visitors but later filed for asylum. Officials have not confirmed that 200,000 people will ultimately lose their visas; the State Department says the number remains dynamic and that revocations will occur on a rolling basis.
Reuters likewise reported that the administration plans to revoke B-1 and B-2 visas of foreign nationals who have applied for or are seeking asylum, while noting that the 200,000 figure comes from Associated Press reporting rather than a final number announced by the State Department.
Visa cancellation does not automatically mean immediate deportation
One crucial distinction is getting lost in the headlines: visa revocation is not the same thing as immediate deportation.
AP reports that the affected individuals would not necessarily be deported immediately simply because their visas are revoked. Many people with pending asylum cases could instead lose their previous visitor classification and face a different immigration status or proceeding.
That distinction matters because a visa primarily allows a person to seek admission to the United States. It does not itself determine whether someone has a valid asylum claim.
Under current USCIS guidance, a non-U.S. citizen who is physically present in the United States may apply for asylum by filing Form I-589, generally within one year of the person’s last arrival, subject to exceptions under immigration law.
The policy could trigger a major legal battle
The proposed revocations are expected to face legal challenges, particularly because of the scale of the action and questions surrounding how individual cases will be evaluated.
The State Department’s own Foreign Affairs Manual says visa revocation generally requires an actual finding that the individual is ineligible for the visa and cautions against arbitrary revocations. It also sets out procedures concerning notification and an opportunity, when practicable, for the individual to explain why a visa should not be revoked.
That could become especially significant if the administration attempts to apply the policy broadly to people whose asylum claims are still pending.
Part of a much wider immigration crackdown
The proposed visa cancellations are not happening in isolation.
The Trump administration has pursued a broader tightening of U.S. immigration policy, including expanded visa scrutiny, immigration restrictions and aggressive enforcement measures. Reuters reported that more than 175,000 visas had already been revoked since Trump returned to office, although those previous revocations involved various circumstances and should not be treated as equivalent to the proposed asylum-related cancellations.
The State Department has also implemented other visa restrictions in 2026, including measures affecting visa issuance for nationals of certain countries.
And on August 26, 2026, Reuters reported that the administration had temporarily paused visa appointments worldwide while consular officers undergo additional training aimed at improving screening of applicants for potential reliance on U.S. public benefits.
What happens next?
The planned revocations are not yet the same as 200,000 visas being cancelled immediately.
According to AP, the State Department is expected to announce the revocations in the coming weeks unless the plan is changed or challenged. The department is expected to implement the action on a rolling basis rather than through a single mass cancellation event.
That leaves several major questions unresolved: How many visas will actually be revoked? How will individual asylum cases be treated? And will courts intervene before the policy takes effect?
For asylum seekers who originally entered the United States on tourist or business visas, those answers could determine whether the administration’s latest immigration crackdown becomes a temporary policy fight—or a landmark test of the limits of federal visa authority.
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