The Trump administration said this week it plans on targeting the business and tourism visas of up to 200,000 foreigners who have sought asylum in the U.S., the latest widespread crackdown by an administration that has pushed restrictive immigration policies.
The White House’s X account on Tuesday celebrated plans for the “largest mass visa revocation in history,” highlighting a report from The Associated Press that the administration would target those holding B-1 and B-2 visas — used for business trips and tourism — issued between 2016 and 2026.
“Under President [Donald] Trump and Secretary [Marco] Rubio’s leadership, we are making clear that a visa is a privilege — not a right,” State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said in a Tuesday statement. “These types of visas are issued with the clear understanding that they are intended for those who intend to return home.”
Pigott noted that “as the process will be ongoing, the number of revocations remains dynamic and will be done on a rolling basis.”
Since Trump’s return to the White House, his administration has continued to target both legal and illegal immigration.
On Monday, the Trump administration revived a proposal for a more than $100,000 fee for H1-B visa applications for skilled foreign workers, after a federal judge blocked the original bid. In a separate battle, the Trump administration on Friday was handed a temporary loss as a federal judge struck down a State Department ban on immigrant visas from 75 countries.
The Trump administration has long targeted the asylum process. On Monday, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau said “the system has long been swamped by frivolous asylum claims,” in a social media post.
“Asylum isn’t supposed to be a loophole to circumvent immigration laws; rather, it’s supposed to provide a narrow safe harbor for persons persecuted,” he wrote.
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