The move is expected to apply to those granted B1 and B2 visas between 2016 and 2026 who have since sought asylum.
State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said the agency is coordinating with the Department of Homeland Security to “identify and revoke the nonimmigrant 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.”
The department did not confirm the number of visas that could be revoked, saying it would be done on a “rolling basis.” It did not say whether those who have visas revoked will be deported or what will happen to any pending asylum claims.
The plan marks the latest tactic by President Donald Trump’s administration to curb immigration. The controversial efforts have included attempts to limit birthright citizenship, impose higher fees for skilled visas and refuse visas to applicants who say they fear returning home to their countries. Many of the moves have been struck down by courts or face legal challenges.
Some of the immigration enforcement efforts have been linked to violence. There have been at least 17 shootings of motorists by federal immigration officers recorded since the beginning of Trump’s second term, a Washington Post analysis shows. Six people, including two U.S. citizens, have died in the shootings.
B1 and B2 visas are issued for short stays for reasons including business ventures and travel. Nearly 6.5 million B1 and B2 visas were issued in fiscal 2024, according to State Department figures. A B-1 temporary business visa allows the holder to stay up to six months in the country for commercial activities, while B2 tourism visas can be used for holidays or medical treatment.
More than 230,000 people in the U.S. filed affirmative asylum cases — applications from those not facing removal proceedings — in 2022, according to a Department of Homeland Security report. A little more than a third of those who claimed affirmative asylum in the last decade had entered on a B1 or B2 visa, the 2022 report added, out of the applicants who had disclosed how they arrived in the United States.
Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau said in a post on X on Monday that “people in the U.S. and all over the world are fed up with bogus asylum claims.”
“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 because of their ‘race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion,’” Landau said.
Under federal law, foreign nationals can seek asylum once in the U.S. if they face “persecution or a well-founded fear of persecution” back home. They can do so regardless of their immigration status as long as they apply within one year of their arrival, according to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
The State Department said this month that it had revoked more than 175,000 visas since Trump took office, including stripping travel documents from foreigners charged with crimes. Human rights groups have described some of the revocations as politically motivated, such as the case of a Tufts University student who was detained and had her visa revoked in 2025 after the administration accused her of supporting the Palestinian militant group Hamas.
Ted Hasson contributed to this report.
