Long Island's economy could take hit from U.S. visa revocation policy, experts say

Long Island’s economy could be a casualty of President Donald Trump's plan to revoke business and tourism visas from up to 200,000 foreigners seeking asylum status, according to area immigration experts.

Unless revised or challenged in federal courts, the U.S. State Department is expected to announce the largest single mass revocation of visas in the nation's history in the coming weeks, according to The Associated Press. The policy change would revoke B1 business and B2 tourism visas issued to foreign travelers between 2016 and 2026 who have or are seeking asylum status.

Immigration experts on Long Island said the change could have a chilling effect on foreign visitor spending in the United States, and also make it less likely that those who face unexpected danger — like a coup — in their home country while visiting will seek safety in the United States.

"People are going to be more afraid to apply for asylum if they actually need asylum," said Lucía Damerau, director of immigration legal services at OLA of Eastern Long Island, a Latino advocacy nonprofit. "People should be allowed to pursue these remedies without being punished for it."

B1 and B2 visas granted at a U.S. embassy or consulate in foreign visitors' home countries, currently allow them to come to the United States and stay for a period of up to six months in a given calendar year, Damerau said.

Additionally, she added, foreign tourists "are going to be afraid to come to the United States."

On Long Island, international tourism plays a significant role in the region’s economy, said Sharon Wyman, president and CEO of Discover Long Island.

"International visitation is an important part of Long Island’s tourism economy and represents a significant opportunity for continued growth," Wyman said in a statement.

The Nassau-Suffolk metropolitan area saw approximately 96,000 international visitors in 2025, a 29.7% increase over 2024, according to a Luxury Link analysis of U.S. Department of Commerce data. Additionally, overseas visitors spent an estimated $17.91 billion in the state last year, according to Tourism Economics data provided by Discover.

"While those figures reflect New York State as a whole, they underscore the enormous international travel market within our region," Wyman said.

State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott told AP that the planned effort, which would be undertaken in coordination with the Department of Homeland Security, is meant to take visas from "foreigners who have come to the United States claiming to be short-term visitors, but then file for asylum to stay here permanently."

The policy change, which would likely face challenges in the courts, makes a presumption of fraud on the part of visa holders, said Alexander Holtzman, director of the Deportation Defense Clinic at Hofstra University.

There is "an assumption, by some in the government, that anyone who comes with a visa and seeks some type of protection ... sought the tourist visa under fraudulent pretenses," Holtzman said.

When it comes to tourism, "if people are scared to come to the U.S., if they are scared to be bothered in the airports or racially profiled in the streets, or they could lose the visa they already applied for, I think that could deter people from coming to the U.S. and contributing to the economy,” he said.