New Trump Rule Fast-Tracks Immigration Asylum Claims, Effective Now

One of the more common tactics of people trying to enter the United States is to claim to be seeking asylum. They know precisely the right terms to invoke, and while there is such a thing as a legitimate asylum request, our immigration system is, at present, overloaded with such claims.

Now, the Trump administration is putting in place a new rule to fast-track the resolution of these cases, which is facing a serious backlog.

The Trump administration is changing how some asylum claims move through the immigration system, allowing U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to refer certain applications directly to immigration judges without first interviewing applicants in an effort to reduce the nation's asylum backlog.
The interim final rule, which takes effect immediately, gives USCIS the authority to send some asylum applications to immigration court without conducting an affirmative asylum interview, eliminating what the administration called an unnecessary step in the adjudication process.
The change applies to affirmative asylum claims, which are filed by immigrants who are not in removal proceedings. Defensive asylum claims, in contrast, are raised before an immigration judge after the government has initiated removal proceedings.

Here's what's changing:

Currently, USCIS generally interviews affirmative asylum applicants before either granting asylum or referring the case to an immigration judge for a separate review. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) told Fox News Digital the process can result in some applications being reviewed twice — first by USCIS and then again by an immigration judge — adding to the agency's growing backlog.
Under the new rule, USCIS can refer certain asylum applications directly to immigration court without first conducting an interview, a change administration officials said will allow both asylum officers and immigration judges to process cases more efficiently while directing resources toward applicants with legitimate claims of persecution.

It's unclear what's meant by "certain" asylum claims.

Border Win: SCOTUS Rules Migrants in Mexico Haven't 'Arrived' in the US for Asylum Purposes

While this rule is almost certain to be challenged, it would seem to represent a way to streamline the process. It seems likely that a number of these asylum claims are not valid, especially when a certain "asylum-seeker" has engaged in a hemisphere-spanning odyssey to reach the United States, rather than claiming asylum in the first nation they came to on their trek. It also seems likely that much of this backlog of "asylum-seekers" dates back to the late and unlamented Biden administration, during which the gates were thrown open to all and sundry, and asylum claims were accepted unquestioningly, with a staggering lack of even the most elementary scrutiny, even when the "asylum-seekers" were seeking to emigrate from countries that are popular vacation sites for Americans.

There's nothing wrong with people coming to America to seek opportunity, of course. But gaming our asylum system to do it, that's a bridge too far - and perhaps this new fast-tracking will put a damper on that tactic.

USCIS will be implementing the new rule immediately, although they are still accepting public commentary on the measure before a final rule is published.

Editor’s Note: We voted for mass deportations, not mass amnesty. Help us continue to fight back against those trying to go against the will of the American people.

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