US considers revoking business, tourism visas of 200,000 asylum seekers
The US government is reportedly weighing a plan to revoke business and tourism visas held by roughly 200,000 asylum seekers. AP reports that, if carried out, it would be the largest single mass visa revocation in US history.
US authorities are reportedly considering a plan to revoke business and tourism visas belonging to around 200,000 people who have also filed asylum applications, according to Al Jazeera, citing the Associated Press.
AP notes that should this action be carried out, it would mark the largest single mass revocation of visas in the country's history — meaning no previous action of this scale has been recorded.
At this stage, the measure remains a proposed plan rather than a finalized or executed decision. The available report does not specify the reasoning behind the proposal, a timeline for implementation, or what would happen to the legal status of those affected afterward.
Immigration and asylum policy has long been one of the most politically sensitive issues in the United States, and any measure affecting the legal status of such a large number of people typically draws significant public and political attention. In this case, those affected are individuals who held valid business or tourism visas in addition to pending asylum claims.
Further details on how the plan might proceed have not yet been made public.
