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🇮🇩 Indonesia /Culture & Society

US plans mass visa revocation for asylum seekers

From Tempo · () Indonesian

Translated from Indonesian, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources New plan
  • The U.S. administration plans to revoke business and tourism visas for foreigners seeking asylum, potentially affecting up to 200,000 individuals.
  • The State Department will target B1 and B2 visas issued between 2016 and 2026 to individuals who have applied for or are currently seeking asylum.
  • This action is part of a broader immigration crackdown under the Trump administration, which has previously implemented various visa restrictions and bans.

The U.S. administration is preparing a sweeping measure to revoke business and tourism visas for foreigners who have sought or are currently seeking asylum in the country. The State Department announced it would target B1 and B2 visas issued between 2016 and 2026 to individuals who have used these short-term visitor visas as a pathway to remain in the U.S. permanently by filing for 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.

— Tommy PigottState Department spokesman explaining the rationale behind the planned visa revocations.

While the exact number of affected visas remains dynamic, the Associated Press, citing State Department documents and officials, reported that up to 200,000 visas could be revoked. If implemented, this would represent the largest single mass revocation of visas in U.S. history. A State Department spokesman stated that the department is coordinating with the Department of Homeland Security to identify and revoke these nonimmigrant visas.

Officials indicated that the revocations would not automatically lead to immediate deportation for most individuals with pending asylum cases. Instead, their status would be reclassified, stripping them of their standing as business or tourism travelers. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau criticized the perceived misuse of asylum processes, calling bogus asylum claims a source of frustration and asserting that asylum should not serve as a loophole to bypass immigration laws.

People in the US and all over the world are fed up with bogus asylum claims.

— Christopher LandauDeputy Secretary of State criticizing the use of visas for asylum claims.

This move is the latest in a series of stringent immigration policies enacted during the Trump administration's second term. These have included enhanced social media vetting for visa applicants, new bond requirements, and outright bans on visa issuance for citizens of specific countries. The administration has also previously targeted "birth tourism" and sought to end birthright citizenship.

Asylum isn't supposed to be a loophole to circumvent immigration law.

— Christopher LandauDeputy Secretary of State Landau's statement on the intended purpose of asylum.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Tempo in Indonesian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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