Kathmandu— The administration of US President Donald Trump announced plans to revoke non-immigrant B-1 and B-2 visas held by individuals who have either applied for or are currently pursuing asylum in the United States, a move experts say could represent the largest single mass visa revocation in U.S. history. The State Department will cancel visas issued between 2016 and 2026 to those who sought asylum, impacting an estimated up to 200,000 people and potentially deterring future claims. This action is part of a broader crackdown on immigration that has intensified during Trump’s second term, encompassing visa revocations, deportation drives, and attempts to limit birthright citizenship.

Rationale Behind the Policy

State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott stated the measure targets “foreigners who have come to the United States claiming to be short-term visitors, but then file for asylum to stay here permanently.” Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau echoed this sentiment on X (formerly Twitter), criticizing what he described as “bogus” asylum claims and asserting that asylum should not be used as a means to circumvent immigration law. The administration views the practice of entering the U.S. with a visitor visa and then applying for asylum as an abuse of the system.

Legal Status and Impact on Asylum Seekers

While revoking a non-immigrant visa does not automatically terminate an individual’s pending asylum claim, it removes their status as a temporary visitor. Rut Bermejo Casado, a researcher in migration and asylum policies at Rey Juan Carlos University, Madrid, explained that applicants would lose their temporary legal standing but retain the right to pursue their asylum cases until a final decision is reached. However, if those claims are ultimately denied, they will have no remaining non-immigrant status to fall back on. The policy could also lead to legal challenges concerning due process and administrative law.

Broader Immigration Crackdown

This visa revocation follows the earlier cancellation of over 175,000 visas allegedly for criminal activity or national security concerns. The Trump administration has also tightened restrictions on visa applicants, previously suspending new visas to citizens of 75 countries – a policy recently struck down by a federal judge as discriminatory. Furthermore, attempts to limit birthright citizenship have faced legal challenges, and aggressive deportation drives led by agencies like ICE have drawn criticism from rights groups for allegedly violating due process.

Nationalities Most Affected

The US Department of State has not released a breakdown of asylum seekers by nationality who entered on B-1 or B-2 visas. However, experts anticipate that those most impacted will likely come from countries with the highest numbers of recent asylum claims, including Venezuela, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, China, Russia, Turkiye and Egypt. While these groups are prominent in overall asylum statistics, the actual impact may vary depending on how individuals entered the U.S., as some nationalities primarily utilize irregular border crossings rather than visa overstays.

The implementation of this policy will require significant data matching between various government agencies, presenting an administrative challenge. The long-term effects remain to be seen, but it is expected to further restrict access to asylum in the United States and signal a continued shift towards stricter immigration enforcement.

(With inputs from Al Jazeera)

Originally published on abcnews.com.np.