Sources say the plan targets those who entered the U.S. illegally and later applied for asylum, making them immediately deportable.
The Trump administration is preparing a new immigration crackdown that could end asylum claims for hundreds of thousands of migrants, CNN reports.
Sources say the plan targets those who entered the U.S. illegally and later applied for asylum, making them immediately deportable.
Federal data shows about 1.45 million people currently have pending affirmative asylum applications. The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has been authorized by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to place individuals in expedited removal proceedings, bypassing traditional hearings.
“President Trump and Secretary Noem have given USCIS the ability to use all tools… to ensure that the integrity of the immigration system is upheld,” USCIS spokesperson Matthew Tragesser told CNN.
Critics argue the move could chill legitimate asylum claims. “They’re turning the agency that we think of as providing immigration benefits as an enforcement arm for ICE,” said ACLU’s Sarah Mehta.
Michael Knowles of the USCIS employees union said, “Our union opposes any policy that violates basic rights guaranteed to asylum seekers by U.S. and international law.”
Conchita Cruz of the Asylum Seeker Advocacy Project added, “Dismissing their asylum cases will hurt them, their families, employers, and communities that rely on them.”