The Trump administration is working to revoke the visas of foreign nationals who entered the United States as short-term visitors and then sought asylum.
State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said on Aug. 24 that the department will work with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on the process but did not say how many visas would be revoked.
Pigott said in an emailed statement that the revocation process will be ongoing and visas will be revoked on “a rolling basis.”
“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,” the spokesperson said.
Pigott said the nonimmigrant visas were issued “with the clear understanding” that their holders would return to their home countries, though he did not specify the types of visas.
“Obtaining a visa in order to seek asylum is fraud - which is grounds for visa revocation. This is an ongoing process as we uphold the integrity of our visa and asylum laws,” Pigott said.
Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau said in an Aug. 24 post that “people in the US and all over the world are fed up with bogus asylum claims.”
Landau emphasized that asylum is meant to provide safe harbor for individuals fleeing persecution based on race, religion, nationality, or political opinion.
“But the system has long been swamped by frivolous asylum claims, meaning that it takes years to adjudicate whether applicants are actually entitled to asylum—during which time they can typically work, have children, and otherwise put down roots in our country,” he said.
The department said on Aug. 10 that more than 175,000 visas of foreign nationals had been revoked since President Donald Trump began his second term in January last year.
The revocations targeted visa holders who violated their visa terms, committed crimes, called for violence against U.S. citizens, defrauded Americans, abused the immigration system, or posed national security risks.
“The majority of these visas were revoked due to law enforcement encounters for a range of criminal activity, with assault, driving under the influence, theft, and drug crimes being the leading causes,” the department said.