The Trump administration is preparing to revoke the business and tourism visas of up to 200,000 foreigners who have applied for or are currently seeking asylum status in the United States.

If carried out, the move would be the largest single mass revocation of visas in U.S. history and would likely face legal challenges.

The State Department is expected to announce in the coming weeks the revocation of so-called B1 and B2 visas issued between 2016 and 2026 whose holders have sought or are currently seeking asylum, according to State Department documents obtained by sources and two U.S. officials. The action will be taken in coordination with the Department of Homeland Security.

"We are coordinating with DHS to identify and revoke the nonimmigrant visas of foreigners who have come to the United States claiming to be short-term visitors, but then file for asylum to stay here permanently," said State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott.

He declined to comment on the number of visas that might be revoked, saying "as the process will be ongoing, the number of revocations remains dynamic and will be done on a rolling basis."

The revocations would not necessarily result in immediate deportation, officials said. Most of those with asylum cases currently pending would be recategorized but would lose their status as business or tourism travelers, according to officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because the revocations are not yet final.

Since President Donald Trump began his second term last year, his administration has steadily ramped up restrictions on visa applicants, demanding more information about their social media histories, requiring the posting of expensive bonds for visa processing, and outright banning the issuance of visas to citizens of certain countries.

On Monday, Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau called out people who he said use tourist and business visas to enter the United States and then apply for asylum.

"People in the US and all over the world are fed up with bogus asylum claims," Landau wrote on X. "Asylum isn't supposed to be a loophole to circumvent immigration law." Landau cited the case of a Colombian citizen who came to the U.S. in 2015 on a tourist visa and then applied for asylum.

B1 visas are generally issued for business trips, while B2 visas are generally issued for tourism, family visits, or medical care. It was not immediately clear from the documents or the officials how many of these visa holders are seeking or have sought asylum in the United States and would be affected by the revocations.

Current applicants for B1 and B2 visas are asked to affirm that they will not apply for asylum in the United States and to prove that they intend to return to their home countries.

In the past 18 months, the State Department has revoked approximately 175,000 visas belonging to people who have been convicted of or accused of crimes ranging from drunk driving to rape and robbery, as well as individuals who have spoken out publicly against U.S. policies, particularly in the Middle East.

The administration has also moved to crack down on so-called birth tourism, a practice it claims is used by foreign pregnant women who travel to the United States to give birth so that their child will benefit from birthright citizenship. Trump has attempted several times to end birthright citizenship, but those efforts have been rejected by courts, including the Supreme Court.

State Department documents suggest that screening of current B1 and B2 visa holders began after the State Department received information about asylum requests from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.