In the latest step of a broad immigration crackdown, the administration of President Donald Trump announced on Monday that it will revoke the non-immigrant visas of foreign nationals who have applied for or are currently seeking asylum in the United States.
A State Department spokesperson confirmed that the agency is collaborating with the Department of Homeland Security “to identify and revoke the non-immigrant 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.”
While most individuals with pending asylum applications will be reclassified and prohibited from traveling for business or tourism, the revocation of their visas will not automatically result in immediate deportation, according to a report by the Associated Press.
Although, the State Department statement did not specify the number of visas that will be revoked in the process.
Earlier on Monday, Christopher Landau, the Deputy Secretary of State said in an X tweet that the American immigration system “has long been swamped by frivolous asylum claims.”
Earlier this month, the State Department announced that more than 175,000 foreign nationals’ visas have been revoked under the Trump administration.
The visa revocations and green card cancellations form part of a broader immigration crackdown aimed at accelerating deportations, which President Trump maintains is necessary to enhance national security.
Civil rights organizations argue that the policy violates due process and free speech rights, warning that the crackdown has fostered widespread uncertainty—particularly among minority communities who report heightened concerns regarding racial profiling.
Although Trump campaigned in 2024 on curbing illegal immigration, his administration has also tightened restrictions on legal entry pathways, including introducing substantial new fees for select work visa applicants. These measures continue to face multiple legal challenges.
Backstory…
The planned visa revocations are the latest development in President Donald Trump’s sweeping immigration crackdown.
In recent months, the administration has rolled out major immigration policies targeting ilegal immigrants which as affected several countries including Nigeria.
Meanwhile, this comes only few days after a U.S. judge on Friday invalidated a Trump administration policy that had halted the issuance of immigrant visas to applicants from 75 nations, ruling that the measure exceeded the statutory authority of Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
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