The Donald Trump administration is preparing to revoke US business and tourism visas of as many as 200,000 foreign nationals who have applied for or are currently seeking asylum in the US, according to the State Department documents cited by The Associated Press.
If implemented at the reported scale, the move would constitute the largest single mass revocation of US visas in history. The planned action is being coordinated with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), according to State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott.
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The measure concerns B1 and B2 visas. B1 visas are generally used for business travel while B2 visas are generally used for tourism, family visits and medical treatment.
The administration's stated rationale is that people who entered the country on short-term visitor visas and subsequently filed asylum applications may have used those visas for a purpose different from the one for which the visa was issued, AP reported.
Pigott stated that the State Department was targeting foreigners who came to the US claiming to be short-term visitors and then filed asylum applications in order to remain in the country permanently.
Deputy Secretary of State, Christopher Landau, also criticised what he described as the use of asylum claims as a way around immigration rules. AP reported that Landau said people in the US and elsewhere were frustrated with what he called "bogus asylum claims."
The reported plan is not yet a completed mass revocation. The State Department is expected to announce the action in the coming weeks, unless the plan is challenged or revised. The officials cited by AP stated that the revocations were not yet final at the time of reporting.
The visa revocation would however not lead to immediate deportation. Most people whose asylum cases are currently pending would instead be re-categorised while losing their status as business or tourism visitors, AP reported.
Reuters described this move as the latest step in the Trump administration's broader immigration crackdown. AP reported that the proposed mass revocations would likely face legal challenges.
Rights groups have accused the administration of violating due process and free speech rights and have raised concerns about racial profiling.
The State Department said earlier in August that the Trump administration had already revoked more than 175,000 visas belonging to foreign nationals.
AP reported that the administration has also tightened visa screening, including additional scrutiny of applicants' social media activity, increased visa bond requirements and restrictions affecting nationals of certain countries.
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