The Trump administration, which has focused much of its immigration crackdown on people who entered the United States illegally from Mexico and elsewhere, is now intensifying its efforts against people who entered the country legally.
The State Department has temporarily paused all immigrant visa applications while briefing consular officials worldwide on a new policy aimed at preventing entry by people considered potential drains on public funds, reports AP.
The administration is also preparing to revoke the business and tourism visas of up to 200,000 foreigners who applied for asylum, which first reported the move this week. It would mark the largest single mass revocation of visas in US history and would likely face legal challenges.
“The thing linking them is a general philosophy that immigration is bad for the United States and that the Trump administration is looking for all of the ways it can to button down our immigration system to allow in fewer people,” said Julia Gelatt, associate director of the US immigration policy programme at the Migration Policy Institute.
Immigrant visa pause expected to be temporary
The pause is linked entirely to new rules concerning the “public charge” requirement, which raised questions among numerous consular officers at US embassies around the world, a State Department official said.
The official, who was not authorised to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity, said the pause began in early August and was not expected to continue beyond early to mid-September.
Most people affected had interviews scheduled for August, but none of the interviews had been cancelled. Instead, officials will reschedule them for September, October and November.
Experts said the pause could affect anyone applying for an immigrant visa from outside the US, particularly people seeking to enter the country on family grounds, including parents, spouses, children or siblings of US citizens.
Gelatt cautioned that securing another appointment could prove difficult.
“They’re hard to get, and so having to reschedule is a big challenge for people,” she said.
Other immigrant visa categories, including those for workers sponsored by employers, are not affected because applicants can demonstrate earnings and would not be considered a “public charge”.
“We need to see how long this pause lasts. It sounded like it would be short, just to make time for training, but if it does last longer, I imagine we’ll see litigation,” Gelatt said.
The administration previously suspended visa issuance for immigrants from 75 countries from January until mid-August, when a court struck down the policy. That decision could provide a precedent for legal challenges.
As the administration tightens public charge rules, US Citizenship and Immigration Services, part of the Department of Homeland Security, has revived a policy that could prevent immigrants from obtaining green cards if they use public benefits such as food stamps, Medicaid and housing vouchers.
Tourism, business visas could be revoked
Unless challenged or revised, the State Department is expected to announce in the coming weeks that it will revoke B-1 and B-2 visas issued between 2016 and 2026 to holders who have sought asylum or are currently seeking asylum.
The State Department documents and two US officials indicate that the move will be carried out in coordination with the Department of Homeland Security.
The State Department has not disclosed how many visas will be revoked. However, some experts and immigration lawyers said the measure would not affect people already in the US who have applied for asylum.
“The goal is instead to send a message that this administration is focused on enforcement and that people who want to live in the United States should not think about coming on a tourist visa and then seeking asylum,” Gelatt said.
“For people who already have a tourist visa that’s being revoked, it really is not going to affect them because they already have lodged their asylum application and are waiting in line for that asylum adjudication. The temporary visa really doesn’t matter anymore.”
Asylum applications can take years to resolve. By contrast, tourist and business visas generally allow visitors to remain in the US for about six months. Once visa holders seek asylum, their ability to remain in the country depends on their pending asylum cases rather than their visas, according to experts.
For years, applicants for tourist or business visas have been required to convince US officials that they intend to return home when their authorised stay ends. Any indication that an applicant plans to remain permanently can lead to visa denial.
The planned visa revocations are consistent with President Donald Trump’s longstanding view that the asylum system is largely a sham.
“People in the U.S. and all over the world are fed up with bogus asylum claims. Asylum isn’t supposed to be a loophole to circumvent immigration laws,” Christopher Landau, a deputy secretary of state, said Monday.
In April, the administration said consulates would deny visas to applicants who indicated that they were afraid to return home.
