Trump plan would allow quick asylum rejections without interviews, documents show
The Trump administration is developing a plan that would allow U.S. immigration officials to quickly reject some asylum applications without interviewing the applicants, according to internal federal government documents obtained by CBS News. The regulation from the Department of Homeland Security would empower officers at U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to reject asylum applications filed after a one-year arrival deadline, placing rejected applicants in deportation proceedings before the Justice Department’s immigration court system. Current U.S. law generally disqualifies foreigners from applying for asylum if they do so more than a year after entering the country, but includes exceptions for serious medical conditions, poor legal counsel, and unaccompanied minors. The regulation would upend USCIS’s longstanding policy of interviewing virtually all asylum applicants before making a decision, allowing quick rejections based on paper records. In a statement, a USCIS spokesperson said the administration is “considering multiple options” to address a backlog of over a million asylum claims, including sending “deficient” applications to immigration courts. Immigration lawyer Conchita Cruz, co-executive director of the Asylum Seeker Advocacy Project, expressed concern that the regulation would “wrongfully” place applicants in deportation proceedings without allowing them to explain why they filed after the one-year deadline.
What’s reported
The Trump administration is developing a plan to allow quick rejection of some asylum applications without interviews, per internal federal documents obtained by CBS News.
The regulation would empower USCIS officers to reject applications filed after the one-year arrival deadline, placing applicants in deportation proceedings.
Current law disqualifies late filers but includes exceptions for serious medical conditions, poor legal counsel, and unaccompanied minors.
The regulation would upend USCIS’s longstanding policy of interviewing virtually all asylum applicants before decisions.
USCIS said it is “considering multiple options” to address a backlog of over a million asylum claims.
Conchita Cruz expressed concern that the regulation would wrongfully place applicants in deportation proceedings without allowing them to explain late filings.
Open questions
Whether the regulation has been finalized or when it would take effect. The specific list of exceptions that would still allow interviews. How many applications might be affected.
Key figures
USCIS spokesperson (unnamed in the article)
Conchita Cruz, co-executive director of the Asylum Seeker Advocacy Project
Sources: CBS News
