Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
The Trump administration 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 United States, according to State Department documents obtained by The Associated Press and two US officials. If carried out, it would be the largest single mass revocation of visas in US history and would likely face legal challenges.
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Unless the plan is challenged or revised, the State Department is expected in the coming weeks to announce the revocation of B1 and B2 visas issued between 2016 and 2026 to people who have sought asylum or are now seeking asylum. The move is being taken in coordination with the Department of Homeland Security.
State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said, “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 declined to comment on how many visas might be revoked, saying, “as the process will be ongoing, the number of revocations remains dynamic and will be done on a rolling basis.”
The officials said the revocations would not necessarily lead to immediate deportation. Most people with asylum cases that are still pending would be recategorised, but they would lose their status as business or tourism travellers. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the revocations are not final yet.
Since President Donald Trump took office for his second term last year, his administration has steadily tightened restrictions on visa applicants. These steps include seeking more details about social media histories, requiring expensive bonds for visa processing and banning visa issuance to citizens of certain countries. In a social media post on Monday, Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau criticised people who, he said, use tourist and business visas to enter the United States and then apply for asylum.
“People in the US and all over the world are fed up with bogus asylum claims,” Landau wrote on X. “Asylum isn’t supposed to be a loophole to circumvent immigration law.” He cited the case of a Colombian citizen who came to the United States in 2015 on a tourist visa and then applied for asylum.
B1 visas are generally issued for business trips, while B2 visas are generally issued for tourism, family visits or medical care. It was not immediately clear from the documents or from the officials how many such visa holders have sought or are seeking asylum and would be affected by the revocations. Current applicants for B1 and B2 visas are asked to confirm that they will not apply for asylum in the United States and to show that they intend to return to their home countries.
In the past 18 months, the State Department has revoked about 175,000 visas for people convicted or accused of crimes ranging from drunken driving to rape and robbery, as well as for people who have publicly spoken against US policies, particularly in the Middle East. The administration has also moved against so-called birth tourism, which it says is used by foreign pregnant women to travel to the United States to give birth so their child can benefit from birthright citizenship. Trump has tried several times to end birthright citizenship, but courts, including the Supreme Court, have rejected those efforts.
In summary, the administration is preparing a broad visa revocation plan targeting B1 and B2 visa holders who have sought asylum, while saying the step is aimed at people who entered as short-term visitors but then tried to stay permanently. The proposal, if implemented, would mark an unprecedented action on US visas and is expected to draw legal scrutiny.
With PTI Inputs
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SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
