The Trump administration plans to revoke business and tourist visas held by foreigners who entered the United States as temporary visitors and later applied for asylum, potentially affecting as many as 200,000 people.
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The initiative, first reported Monday by The Associated Press, could become the largest mass visa revocation in U.S. history and marks another escalation in President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement agenda.
The State Department is working with the Department of Homeland Security to identify visa holders who entered the country for temporary purposes but subsequently sought asylum to remain permanently.
“We are coordinating with DHS 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,” State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott told the AP.
Pigott did not confirm how many visas would ultimately be affected, saying the administration will conduct revocations on a rolling basis.
“As the process will be ongoing, the number of revocations remains dynamic,” he said.
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The policy targets a potential vulnerability in the immigration system involving foreigners admitted on nonimmigrant visas, which require applicants to demonstrate that they intend to visit the United States temporarily.
The administration’s move could affect up to 200,000 business and tourism visa holders, according to the AP, although legal challenges are expected.
Trump has made tighter immigration enforcement a centerpiece of his second term, seeking to increase deportations, strengthen visa screening and prevent foreigners from abusing legal pathways to remain in the country.
The administration last year also began continuously vetting more than 55 million U.S. visa holders for potential violations that could result in their visas being revoked or, in some cases, removal from the United States.
The State Department has separately revoked visas over national security and public safety concerns as the administration expands scrutiny of foreign nationals after they have entered the country.
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