Up to 200,000 visas could be revoked, SWFL families left in limbo

FORT MYERS, Fla. (WINK) — The Trump administration could revoke up to 200,000 business and tourist visas in an effort to target people who later applied for asylum.

The Associated Press reports it could become the largest single mass visa revocation in U.S. history. WINK News reporter Damien Alvarado spoke with an immigration attorney and an FGCU professor about what this could mean legally and for families in Southwest Florida.

Dr. Thomas Felke, an FGCU professor of social work, explained the uncertainty surrounding the policy.

"In general, when these types of situations happen, what we talk about is a chilling effect, meaning individuals are not sure what exactly the impact is, and that is absolutely the case in this situation," Felke said.

The visas in question are B-1 and B-2 business and tourist visas issued between 2016 and 2026 to people who later sought asylum. The State Department told WINK News it is coordinating with the Department of Homeland Security to identify and revoke the non-immigrant visas of foreigners who came to the United States claiming to be short-term visitors but then filed for asylum to stay permanently.

State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said obtaining one of these visas with the intent of seeking asylum is fraud and grounds for revocation. The State Department would not confirm the 200,000 figure, saying the number remains dynamic and revocations will happen on a rolling basis.

READ MORE: US set for largest mass visa revocation in history targeting up to 200,000 foreigners, officials say

Renata Castro, an immigration attorney with USA Four All Immigration, said the revocation carries more symbolic weight than immediate legal consequences.

"The reality is, this revocation is more messaging and rhetoric than legal impact," Castro said.

Castro explained that losing a visa doesn't mean someone with a pending asylum case is immediately forced to leave. The bigger question is how the government determines someone's intent when they first applied for that visa.

"In order to prove that there was fraudulent intent, you would have to be in the person's mind at the time that they were going through the process of applying for the tourist visa," Castro said.

Castro said circumstances can change after someone legally enters the country, including conditions back home that could lead them to seek asylum. She told WINK News she expects legal challenges once the implementation details are known.

Felke said the policy questions still come back to the people waiting to find out what happens next.

"We are talking about human beings at the end of the day, right?" Felke said. "You are again going to have individuals, children, families that are looking around saying, 'How does this affect our case?'"

Felke said removing those visas will impact the asylum process.

"By removing those visas, it's going to impact that asylum process, and that is something we are going to have to pay attention to," Felke said.