Trump Team Weighs Mass Visa Revocations for Asylum Seekers
SingTao · 1 SOURCESabout 2 hours ago2 MIN
Summary
The US State Department is reportedly coordinating with the Department of Homeland Security to revoke as many as 200,000 business and tourist visas issued to foreigners who later applied for asylum in the United States. The same administration is also pushing ahead with a formal rule to lock in a US$100,000 H-1B visa fee after a judge blocked an earlier temporary version
Key Points
- Internal State Department documents and officials said the plan covers B1 and B2 visas issued from 2016 to 2026 to holders who later sought political asylum in the United States
- State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said officials are working with DHS to identify people who claimed short visits but then applied for asylum to remain longer
- Officials said visa cancellation would not automatically trigger immediate deportation, but many pending asylum cases would be reclassified and affected people would lose their original nonimmigrant status
- Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau wrote on X that “false asylum claims” are widely resented and that asylum should not serve as a loophole around immigration law
- Separately, DHS submitted a proposal on August 24 to formalize a US$100,000 H-1B fee, published it in the Federal Register on August 25, and opened a 30-day comment period
Why It Matters
For Hong Kong readers, the immediate significance is that US visa categories long used for short-term travel, study planning, business visits or later status changes may face much tighter scrutiny if applicants’ stated purpose and later actions diverge. The H-1B fee push also matters to professionals and employers with US hiring plans, because it could sharply raise the cost of moving high-skilled talent into the American market and trigger further court fights before year-end