by Ben Whedon
The State Department is preparing to revoke as many as 200,000 business and tourism visas in what would mark the largest single revocation in U.S. history, the Associated Press reported.
The effort comes as State works with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to identify recipients who used the visas for short-term entry, but instead filed for asylum to try to secure a permanent stay.
“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,” State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott told the outlet.
The planned revocations come as the administration pursues the largest comprehensive review of outstanding visas in recent history, which also comes amid President Donald Trump’s mass deportation efforts.
Earlier in August, the State Department announced it revoked over 175,000 foreign nationals’ visas for numerous reasons, including committing crimes, immigration system abuses and defrauding Americans.
In a statement to The Hill, the State Department said, “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. A significant share of visas were revoked for reckless driving, sexual assault, child abuse, fraud and embezzlement, and other crimes.”
“Under President Trump and Secretary Rubio’s leadership, the State Department will continue to identify, investigate, and revoke the visas of foreign nationals who threaten the safety of the American people,” the department added.
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Ben Whedon is a reporter for Just the News. Zachery Schmidt is the digital editor of The Star News Network and contributed to this story.
