Trump Administration Accelerates Migrant Deportations: New Rule Threatens Hundreds of Thousands
The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has announced a new measure concerning the deportation of migrants.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced Tuesday that it was modifying the process for handling asylum applications, allowing for the deportation of hundreds of thousands of applicants to be expedited.
The department said the measure was intended to reduce the backlog of pending asylum cases.
Under the revised procedure, certain asylum applications will be referred directly to immigration judges within the Department of Justice, without an interview with a specialized officer from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).
The department said the current procedure “effectively allows aliens a second chance at asylum,” adding that the change “will shorten the overall time asylum officers and immigration judges spend adjudicating asylum applications.”
The department said the measure could affect as many as 444,724 cases, representing 31% of the 1.43 million cases currently backlogged in the asylum system.
“The asylum system has been exploited for far too long for purposes of delay and obtaining work permits, rather than for filing legitimate claims for protection,” USCIS Director Joseph Edlow said in a statement.
He added: “The U.S. asylum system is intended to protect people who have genuine fears of persecution. This rule will help direct resources toward the prompt adjudication of their claims, rather than allowing them to be drained by those seeking to exploit loopholes in the system.”
James Percival, legal counsel representing the Department of Homeland Security, said the new procedure would “improve efficiency and fulfill” Trump’s commitment to tightening measures against illegal immigration.
During his presidential campaign, Trump pledged to deport millions of undocumented migrants. Since returning to the White House, he has taken measures aimed at accelerating deportations and curbing unauthorized border crossings.
