WASHINGTON DC, WA, August 25, 2026 — Up to 200,000 foreigners who applied for asylum in the United States will have their visas canceled under Trump administration plans. If it were to go ahead, that would be the largest mass issuance of visa cancellations in U.S. history. The Department of Homeland Security is partnering with the State Department to coordinate the effort.
Who Would Be Affected
It concerns B1 and B2 business and tourism visas issued from 2016 to 2026. Those visa holders would be kicked out of their status if they subsequently applied for or are in the process of applying for asylum. Instead, officials say the revocations will take place over time, not all at once.
State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said: “We are working with DHS to identify and rescind the nonimmigrant visas of foreigners who falsely claim they will be visiting temporarily.” Affected travelers, in contrast, “apply for asylum to remain here for the long term,” Pigott said. The overall number “still remains dynamic,” he said, without specifying how many investigations there were.
What Happens Next for Applicants
The cancellations would not immediately lead to deportation for individuals with pending asylum applications. Applicants would most likely be reclassified, although they would not remain considered short-term visitors. Their underlying asylum claims would remain continuing through the immigration court system separately.
Asylum has been used as a backdoor exception to normal immigration law, Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau said in a recent statement. On social media, Landau wrote: “People in the US and world over are tired of phony asylum claims.” “Asylum is not supposed to be a backdoor way of crossing the border outside of immigration law,” he said.
Part of a Broader Crackdown
The State Department has already rescinded approximately 175,000 visas in the past year and a half. The earlier denials focused on people who were convicted of or charged with crimes from drunken driving to robbery. Others were revoked for topical actions against U.S. foreign policy that included public statements of opposition.
A month ago the administration started restricting asylum seekers from standard interview processes. Rather, officers can now direct some migrants straight to immigration court for deportation proceedings instead. The change takes away migrants’ chance to make their case in front of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
Expected Legal Challenges
The wide-ranging nature of the plan will almost certainly spur instant court battles, according to immigration attorneys. Earlier this year, various immigration policies related to the administration had already been blocked by courts. Legal experts anticipate the same kind of procedural challenges once the State Department makes its announcement about the revocations.
Officials with knowledge of the plan say the announcement is likely to come in the next few weeks. B1 and B2 applicants now already must affirm they will not seek asylum once admitted. Detailed guidance on travel documents and categories is available on the official U.S. Department of State Travel Website.
The plan, it said, would deprive many who played by the rules of their status. They claim equating asylum seekers with visa abuse is a blunt instrument, harming the most vulnerable applicants. Still, the administration says the policy would target abuse rather than legitimate asylum claims.
Legal aid organizations say they are getting ready to help travelers impacted by the change once it is officially announced. The new caseload could result in significant backlogs – and immigration courts are already facing sizable backlogs. The plan covers such a broad scope that it ranks as one of the most consequential visa moves of Trump’s second term
