Trump Administration Fast-Tracks Asylum Denials, Deepens Immigration Crackdown
Trump accelerates asylum denials, sidelines courts, and plans to strip work permits for migrants awaiting protection.
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration is intensifying efforts to dismantle the U.S. asylum system, pressuring judges to rapidly dismiss cases and pursuing new restrictions on work permits for migrants awaiting decisions, according to internal government memos and multiple media reports.
In a directive dated May 30, the Department of Justice ordered immigration judges to issue oral decisions the same day as hearings and allow the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to request dismissals without additional documentation. The guidance also instructs judges to expedite deportations for cases deemed “legally insufficient.”
Asylum seekers denied protection are often detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents immediately after court hearings. Meanwhile, the administration is also considering ending work permits for asylum applicants, according to a CBS report citing DHS sources — a move that could push thousands into the informal economy.
In March, immigration courts denied 76% of asylum claims, a record rejection rate, according to Syracuse University’s Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse. "Judges fast-tracked asylum denials at a record pace, raising questions about the future of the asylum system,” said Austin Kocher, a respected immigration data nerd.
The administration has already dismantled Biden-era programs, including CBP One, which allowed migrants to schedule court appointments for asylum applications. Nearly one million people used the system before it was shut down in January. Many of those migrants were later notified that their work permits and residency protections had been revoked.
The Executive Office of Immigration Review (EOIR), which oversees immigration courts, currently faces a backlog of more than 3.7 million cases. The administration has begun dismissing immigration judges and instituting new legal standards to swiftly eliminate claims without hearings.
Human rights advocates argue the policy shifts amount to the near-erasure of asylum in the United States. “This administration’s idea of deterring people seems to be succeeding,” said Paul Christian Namphy of Family Action Network Movement. “The price of this success is cruelty.”
Trump has also reinstated a travel ban on citizens from 12 countries, including Venezuela, Yemen, and Iran — nations from which many asylum seekers historically flee due to political or religious persecution. This list could expand by almost 50, given recent reports, mostly from third-world countries.
Much of this reporting was done by the good work of Patricia Caro, from El Pais. You can read her article here. Keep up the good work everyone!