The Department of State confirmed that it is preparing what would be the largest mass visa revocation in the history of the United States, a measure that could affect up to 200,000 foreigners —including Cubans, Venezuelans, Colombians, and Peruvians— who entered the country with B1 (business) or B2 (tourism, family visit, or medical care) visas and subsequently applied for asylum.
The immigration lawyer Liudmila Marcelo, when consulted about the actual impact of this action, urged caution before drawing conclusions. "Well, Tania, I would also like to read what it says when the provision comes out, and what the steps will be, and who will actually be affected," she said in an interview with Tania Costa on her weekly program on CiberCuba.
Marcelo explained the profile of those who could be affected: individuals of different nationalities who entered with a tourist or business visa and, before completing six months in the country, applied for asylum to avoid accumulating unlawful presence and to be able to obtain a work permit.
"If you entered with a tourist visa and then changed and applied for asylum, the government interprets that as having applied for the visa under one circumstance and having used it for another," the lawyer pointed out.
However, Marcelo was emphatic in downplaying the impact of the announcement. "For me, I tell you, it's like a big puff of smoke," she stated, adding that she sees it more as a political signal than as an immediate measure. "I see this more as an announcement that says, we're going to do this, we're going to continue revoking, just so you can see how immigration policies remain strong and geared toward eliminating immigration."
The lawyer also clarified a legal point that many are unaware of: the revocation of a B1 or B2 visa does not automatically equate to deportation nor does it cancel a pending asylum case, which can continue its process independently.
Another argument that puts the measure into perspective is the time that has passed. "They say that the revocation affects visas between 2016 and 2026, and those from 2016, of course, are no longer valid," Marcelo pointed out, noting that many of those documents would have simply expired over time.
Furthermore, the lawyer noted that anyone who enters with a visa and then applies for asylum, if they decide to return to their country, automatically has that visa revoked for violating the conditions under which it was granted. In that sense, the new measure would not represent any legal novelty for those who have already left the territory.
This action is part of a sustained increase in revocations under the Trump administration: the number had already exceeded 175,000 canceled visas for various reasons prior to this new announcement. Secretary of State Marco Rubio had previously warned that no foreigner has a right to a visa and that those who commit a crime will lose it.
According to the Associated Press, if the mass revocation is carried out, it will likely face legal challenges.
Marcelo concluded his analysis with a call for patience: "Let's wait for it to come out. Because many times when these announcements are made, they are not yet truly revealing what is really intended."
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