The United States is preparing to cancel the visas of roughly 200,000 foreign nationals who have applied for asylum, according to reporting from Turkish news outlet Sözcü Gazetesi. The move, attributed to the Trump administration, would affect individuals currently in the country under visa status who have also filed asylum claims.
Sözcü Gazetesi reports that the administration is moving forward with a plan to revoke these visas, a step that would likely force affected individuals to leave the country or face deportation proceedings. The exact timeline for implementation has not been specified in the reporting, and it remains unclear how many of the 200,000 people are already in the US or waiting abroad.
The news follows a broader pattern of restrictive immigration actions under the current administration. Earlier this month, a US court blocked a separate executive order that sought to suspend immigrant visas for nationals from 75 countries, according to Bloomberg HT. That ruling temporarily halted the ban, but the new visa cancellation plan appears to be a distinct measure targeting asylum applicants specifically.
Euronews and Hürriyet also picked up the story, confirming that the plan has drawn attention across international media. NTV Haber noted that the visas of 200,000 people could be revoked, though no official confirmation from the US government has been cited in the available reporting.
What to watch next: Whether the administration pushes the visa cancellations through despite legal challenges, and how courts respond to any due process concerns raised by affected asylum seekers.
