Trump plans largest mass visa cancellation in history: Who will it affect?

What the report says

The Trump administration has said it plans to revoke B-1 and B-2 non-immigrant visas from foreigners who have applied for, or are currently seeking, asylum in the United States. Al Jazeera reported that the step could become the largest single mass visa revocation in US history, with State Department documents and US officials cited by the Associated Press estimating that as many as 200,000 people may be affected.

The visas targeted are issued for business and tourism travel, and the policy would cover visas issued between 2016 and 2026. State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said the action was aimed at people who entered as short-term visitors and later filed asylum claims. The report said the measure is part of a broader immigration crackdown in President Donald Trump’s second term, which has already included visa and green card revocations, deportation actions, tighter visa screening and attempts to narrow birthright citizenship.

Al Jazeera noted that revoking a visa is not the same as ending an asylum case. Experts quoted in the report said many affected people would still be able to pursue their asylum claims, but would lose their temporary visitor status and become more dependent on the outcome of those cases. That could also increase legal disputes and make future asylum applications less likely, because the policy may act as a deterrent.

The report did not provide a public nationality breakdown for those most likely to be affected, but said the impact may be heavier on applicants from countries with large recent asylum caseloads. It also said the government would need extensive data matching across agencies to carry out the policy.