The Trump administration is preparing to revoke up to 200,000 business and tourist visas belonging to foreign nationals who have applied for or are currently seeking asylum in the United States, according to State Department documents obtained by The Associated Press and U.S. officials. If carried out as planned, it would be the largest single mass visa revocation in U.S. history.
The plan targets B-1 and B-2 visas issued between 2016 and 2026. B-1 visas are generally used for temporary business travel, while B-2 visas cover tourism, family visits and medical treatment.
The administration argues that some people entered the country as temporary visitors and later filed for asylum in an attempt to remain permanently. State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said the department is working with the Department of Homeland Security to identify people who entered on short-term visas and later sought asylum.
The planned revocations would not automatically mean immediate deportation. According to the AP, the action would remove the person’s nonimmigrant visa status, while people with pending asylum cases could continue dealing with those cases separately. The revocations are expected to happen in stages rather than all at once.
The move comes as the administration continues a broader immigration crackdown. The State Department said earlier this month that it had already revoked more than 175,000 visas under President Donald Trump. Most of those revocations were connected to law-enforcement encounters, visa violations, criminal activity, fraud or national-security concerns.
For Haitian immigrants and the wider Haitian diaspora, the announcement is another development to watch closely. Haitians are not being singled out by this particular plan, but Haitian nationals who entered the United States on B-1 or B-2 visas and later filed for asylum could potentially be affected if their cases fall within the administration’s criteria.
The plan also comes as the Trump administration continues to tighten immigration rules affecting Haitians, including the termination of Temporary Protected Status for Haitians.
For now, the mass revocation has not happened. The administration is preparing the action, and the details could change before the government begins carrying it out. Legal challenges are also expected.
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