Up to 200,000 asylum seekers face visa revocations under separate plan
The State Department has paused all immigrant visa applications at U.S. embassies and consulates worldwide, a department official confirmed Tuesday, as the Trump administration moves to tighten entry rules and limit access to applicants who could rely on U.S. public assistance.
The initiative was launched in early August at posts worldwide, the official said. The State Department has been working on updated guidance and training since early this year “to ensure all consular officers are fully equipped to evaluate every visa applicant comprehensively and consistently,” according to the official.
Applicants with interviews already scheduled received emails informing them that their appointments had been canceled and that they would be notified of new dates, the Financial Times reported.
A State Department official said the pause is intended to ensure visa applicants do not end up relying on U.S. public benefits.
Separately this week, the administration announced plans to revoke visas from asylum seekers who initially entered the country on tourism or business visas. Up to 200,000 people currently seeking asylum could be affected, in what would amount to the largest mass visa revocation in U.S. history. The action is being carried out in coordination with the Department of Homeland Security.
Under Trump, visa applicants have also faced new restrictions, including review of their social media histories and added processing costs, the Associated Press reported.
The latest pause follows an earlier administration attempt to block applications on a similar “public charge” basis, which included a block on applications from 75 countries. A federal judge recently overturned that restriction.
“The court made clear that immigration laws cannot be used to justify discrimination,” Joanna Cuevas Ingram, senior staff attorney at the National Immigration Law Center, said in a statement last week. “We are determined to ensure every person and family this ban harmed receives appropriate relief and will continue to hold this administration accountable to its obligations under the law.”
In February, a separate federal judge overturned the administration’s attempt to suspend the U.S. refugee system entirely. Federal agents have been allowed to block asylum seekers from entering the U.S., a move human rights advocates said undermines international asylum laws.
Brian Simmons, an attorney at immigration law firm Fragomen in Washington, told the Financial Times that many applicants affected by the pause “spent thousands of dollars and disrupted their lives to attend scheduled interviews, only to have their appointments cancelled at the last minute.” It remained unclear when those appointments will be rescheduled.