The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump is preparing to initiate the largest mass visa revocation program in American history, targeting up to 200,000 foreign nationals who entered the United States on temporary visas and subsequently applied for asylum.
According to State Department internal documents obtained on August 24, 2026, and confirmed by federal officials, the measure specifically targets non-immigrant B-1 (business) and B-2 (tourism/visitor) visas issued between 2016 and 2026.
The State Department is expected to formally roll out the policy in the coming weeks alongside the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
“We are coordinating with DHS to identify and revoke the non-immigrant 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. Pigott noted that because the process will be execution-dependent, the number of revocations will remain dynamic and proceed on a rolling basis.
The policy shift follows growing administration rhetoric against perceived immigration loopholes. In a public statement on Monday, August 24, Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau condemned individuals using temporary visitor visas as a pathway to claim asylum.
”People in the U.S. and all over the world are fed up with bogus asylum claims,” Landau posted on X. “Asylum isn’t supposed to be a loophole to circumvent immigration law.”
Administration officials emphasized that losing B-1 or B-2 non-immigrant status does not trigger immediate deportation for individuals with active claims pending before immigration courts. Instead, affected individuals will have their legal status recategorized while their underlying asylum applications are processed through federal channels.
The move marks the latest escalation in immigration enforcement under the administration, which has already revoked roughly 175,000 visas over the past 18 months, primarily targeting individuals convicted or accused of crimes, as well as foreign nationals deemed to have violated foreign policy guidelines.
Legal experts and immigration advocates expect the proposed mass revocations to face immediate challenges in federal court.
