US Announces Plan to Revoke Visas of Up to 200,000 Asylum Seekers

The United States is preparing to revoke the business and tourism visas of up to 200,000 foreigners who have applied for or are currently seeking asylum in the country.

According to documents obtained by The Associated Press, the State Department is expected to announce the visa revocations in the coming weeks as part of an action targeting holders of B1 and B2 visas issued between 2016 and 2026 who have sought or are seeking asylum in the US. 

The move will be carried out in coordination with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said the authorities were working with DHS to identify visa holders who entered the country as temporary visitors before seeking asylum.

"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," he said.

Pigott said the number of affected visa holders could change as the process continues, with the revocations being implemented progressively.

"As the process will be ongoing, the number of revocations remains dynamic and will be done on a rolling basis," he added.

B1 visas are generally issued to foreigners travelling to the US for business purposes, while B2 visas are commonly granted for tourism, family visits or medical care.

Applicants for B1 and B2 visas are currently required to affirm that they will not seek asylum in the United States and demonstrate that they intend to return to their home countries after their temporary stay.

Elsewhere, the United States has revoked more than 600 visas belonging to foreign nationals as part of a crackdown on birth tourism.

In a statement on Wednesday, August 12, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said American citizenship was being targeted by organized networks that allegedly profit from helping foreign nationals give birth in the United States for the purpose of securing citizenship for their children.

"American citizenship is not for sale. But elaborate birth tourism rings are profiting off the exploitation of America's laws- coaching foreigners to defraud the U.S. visa system, arranging travel and housing, and even forging documents, all to enable foreign nationals to obtain citizenship for their children," he wrote.

Rubio said the U.S. government had established a specialized task force to address the activities and take action against individuals and networks involved in birth tourism.

"The State Department established a Birth Tourism Prevention Task Force to review the activity of visa holders, dismantle illegal birth tourism networks, and put an end to this heinous abuse of our nation's laws," he added.

Rubio said the task force had already taken action against hundreds of foreign nationals since it began its work, with the U.S. government pledging to continue the crackdown.

"In just one month, the Birth Tourism Prevention Task Force has taken action to revoke more than 600 visas from foreign nationals across the globe and will continue to safeguard our nation from this abuse," he further said.

Rubio added that the State Department would continue using available measures to target networks involved in birth tourism and protect the integrity of U.S. citizenship.

"The State Department will use all available tools to dismantle birth tourism networks and defend the integrity of U.S. citizenship," he concluded.