## Up to 200,000 people who sought asylum could lose B-1/B-2 visas

**The Trump administration is preparing to revoke the business and tourism visas of up to 200,000 people who have applied for or are currently seeking asylum, according to State Department documents obtained by The Associated Press and two U.S. officials.** [AP](https://apnews.com/article/trump-rubio-visas-revoke-e9c14fdfd0ada439d2b9d8694e678a46), [The Hill](https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/6048047-mass-b1-b2-visa-revocations/)

The plan would cover B-1 and B-2 visas issued between 2016 and 2026. The State Department says it is coordinating with DHS to identify and revoke the visas on a rolling basis; the department declined to confirm the number, saying it would remain dynamic. The revocations are not final, and officials told the AP they would not necessarily lead to immediate deportation. [Al Jazeera](https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/8/25/us-plans-to-revoke-business-tourism-visas-of-200000-asylum-seekers)

**The legal tension is that U.S. law allows a person who is physically present in the country to apply for asylum regardless of immigration status.** That rule does not settle the separate question of whether the government may cancel a visitor visa, but it helps explain why the reported plan is likely to face a legal challenge. [8 U.S.C. § 1158 (Aug. 23, 2026 text)](https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-prelim-title8-section1158&num=0&edition=prelim)

## A proposed $103,265 price tag for new H-1B petitions

**DHS proposed a new $103,265 fee for every H-1B petition subject to the annual cap, including petitions eligible for the 20,000 advanced-degree exemption.** The charge would be paid when the petition is filed and would sit on top of other applicable fees. [USCIS](https://www.uscis.gov/newsroom/news-releases/dhs-proposes-additional-h-1b-fee), [Federal Register](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2026-08-25/pdf/2026-17298.pdf)

The proposal is not a final rule. DHS says it would not apply to H-1B petitions that are not subject to the cap, including petitions filed by certain nonprofit research organizations, governmental research organizations and institutions of higher education. The agency estimates the fee would raise about $8.8 billion a year based on an expected 85,000 cap-subject petitions. [Reuters](https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/trump-administration-moves-impose-more-than-100000-fee-h-1b-worker-visas-2026-08-24/), [WR Immigration](https://wolfsdorf.com/dhs-proposes-unprecedented-103265-fee-for-h-1b-cap-subject-petitions/)

**This is a separate proposed charge from the earlier $100,000 H-1B payment, which was blocked by a judge.** The new proposal is aimed at cap-subject petitions; it does not by itself describe a fee for every H-1B filing, extension or amendment. [American Bazaar](https://americanbazaaronline.com/2026/08/24/trump-administration-proposes-new-103265-fee-for-h-1b-petitions-486931/)

## ICE reports 1,328 arrests in a two-week Washington-region operation

**DHS says ICE arrested 1,328 people in Virginia and Maryland between Aug. 1 and Aug. 14 during an operation it called “Operation Safe Community — Washington, D.C.”** The agency says much of the operation focused on the Washington suburbs, while officers also conducted actions throughout both states. [DHS](https://www.dhs.gov/news/2026/08/24/ice-operation-safe-community-washington-dc-arrests-more-1300-illegal-aliens), [Telemundo](https://www.telemundo.com/noticias/noticias-telemundo/inmigracion/ice-arrestos-inmigrantes-dc-virginia-maryland-operativo-rcna594208), [El Diario NY](https://eldiariony.com/2026/08/24/operativo-de-ice-en-virginia-y-maryland-deja-1328-inmigrantes-arrestados/)

Nearly 400 of those arrested had either been convicted of or charged with crimes in the United States, according to DHS. That is an agency-reported breakdown, not an independently audited count; the department also listed arrests involving people it identified as members of MS-13, 18th Street Gang and Tren de Aragua. [Fox 5 DC](https://www.fox5dc.com/news/1328-undocumented-immigrants-arrested-maryland-virginia-during-2-week-ice-operation), [WJLA](https://wjla.com/news/local/1300-arrested-after-ices-operation-safe-community-in-dc-virginia-and-maryland-department-of-homeland-security-dhs-markwayne-mullin-august-2026)

## Around the system


**In Chicago, immigration agents arrested a man after an apparent collision with his pickup truck, and a standoff followed when a tow-truck driver initially refused to help remove the agents' SUV.** Block Club Chicago reported that Illinois State Police confirmed the crash, no injuries were reported, and a second tow truck later removed the vehicle. [Block Club Chicago](https://blockclubchicago.org/2026/08/24/tow-truck-driver-refuses-to-help-ice-after-agents-crash-into-truck-on-southwest-side/)


**A federal judge dismissed the Trump administration's lawsuit against Washtenaw County, Michigan, allowing the county to keep policies limiting cooperation with ICE.** The ruling said federal immigration law does not generally require local governments to use their resources for a particular federal request. [CBS Detroit](https://cbsnews.com/detroit/news/reaction-trump-administration-lawsuit-dismissed-washtenaw-county?intcid=CNR-02-0623), [The Detroit News](https://detroitnews.com/story/news/local/michigan/2026/08/22/trump-lawsuit-seeking-to-quash-washtenaw-immigration-policies-dismissed/91413840007)


**Rensselaer County, New York, said it would join a federal lawsuit challenging a state law that bars local law-enforcement agencies from working with ICE under 287(g) agreements.** The law was set to take effect Tuesday; WAMC reported that 11 of the other 12 New York jurisdictions with agreements planned to withdraw. [WAMC](https://wamc.org/news/2026-08-24/rensselaer-county-new-york-state-ice-agreement-lawsuit)


**Legal-aid groups are challenging a USCIS policy that allows asylum officers to bypass the affirmative asylum interview and refer some cases directly to immigration court.** The groups say the change could move more cases into an already strained adversarial system; USCIS says it is intended to direct resources toward timely adjudication. [KJZZ](https://kjzz.org/fronteras-desk/2026-08-21/lawsuit-challenges-new-rule-that-could-send-more-asylum-seekers-straight-to-immigration-court)