Here’s a wild idea. What if when somebody tells the United States government, “I’m just visiting, I’ll go home in two weeks,” we hold them to it?
The Trump administration is preparing to revoke the business and tourism visas of up to 200,000 foreigners who came here on B1 or B2 visas, promised they weren’t staying, and then turned around and filed for asylum. The State Department is coordinating with DHS to identify them, and the announcement could come in a matter of weeks. If it goes through, it’ll be the largest single mass visa revocation in American history.
State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott put it plainly: “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 wouldn’t confirm the 200,000 number, saying the count “remains dynamic and will be done on a rolling basis.” In Washington, that’s as close to “yes, but we’re not giving you a headline” as you’ll ever get.
Now, the people who built their entire personality around being offended on behalf of non-citizens are already dusting off their legal briefs. The AP notes the move “would likely face legal challenges.” Of course it will. Somebody always files a lawsuit. That’s the American left’s version of a prayer chain. But let’s walk through this real slow, the way you’d explain it to a teenager who thinks rules are optional.
You apply for a tourist visa. The form asks you to affirm that you will not apply for asylum in the United States. You have to prove you intend to return home. You sign it. You fly to Orlando. You ride the teacups. And then you file an asylum claim and never leave. That’s not seeking refuge. That’s a bait-and-switch. Bless their hearts, but that’s just not how it works, hon.
Borys Zaitsev / PexelsDeputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau said it out loud on Monday: “People in the US and all over the world are fed up with bogus asylum claims. Asylum isn’t supposed to be a loophole to circumvent immigration law.” He’s right, and you don’t need a law degree to see it. You need common sense and a working memory of what the word “temporary” means.
Here’s the part the panic merchants won’t tell you. The revocations don’t automatically mean deportation. Officials say most pending asylum cases would be recategorized. These folks lose their tourist and business traveler status. Their asylum claims still get processed. Nobody’s being thrown into a shipping container. The administration is saying: you can’t be a tourist and an asylum seeker at the same time. Pick a lane.
And this didn’t come out of nowhere. The State Department started screening current B1 and B2 holders after Citizenship and Immigration Services handed over information about asylum requests. In other words, the government finally compared two databases it already had. The fact that nobody bothered to do this before tells you everything about how Washington operates when nobody’s watching.
Over the past 18 months, the administration has already revoked about 175,000 visas from people convicted or accused of crimes, from DUI to robbery, and from people who publicly railed against U.S. policy. That drew howls too. But last I checked, the sky didn’t fall.
The same crowd that spent four years insisting the border was “secure” while a record number of people walked across it is now going to tell you with a straight face that revoking a visa from someone who lied on their application is a threat to the republic. No. It’s a threat to the loophole. And the loophole had a real good run.
Two hundred thousand people told the U.S. government one thing and did another. The government finally noticed. That’s not a crisis. That’s the system working for once.