Trump plans mass dismissal of asylum claims

June 26, 2025 (MLN): The Trump administration was reported to have planned the dismissal of asylum claims for potentially hundreds of thousands of migrants in the United States.

This would effectively make them immediately deportable as part of the president’s sweeping immigration crackdown.

The move marked the latest in a series of actions aimed at barring migrants from receiving protections in the U.S., as federal authorities face pressure to deliver historic immigration arrest numbers.

Officials have quietly worked to expand the pool of people eligible for removal, targeting those who entered the U.S. unlawfully and later applied for asylum.

These individuals’ cases are expected to be closed, putting them at direct risk of deportation.

Over the past decade, around 25% of asylum applicants self-reported entering the U.S. unlawfully, which, according to a federal 2023 report, equates to at least a quarter of a million people.

The remaining applicants entered legally through ports of entry with various visas.

U.S. law allows individuals fleeing violence or persecution in their home countries to claim asylum as a pathway to remain in the U.S.

Upon taking office, President Trump effectively closed access to asylum at the southern border, as CNN reported.

Currently, approximately 1.45 million people have pending affirmative asylum applications, filed through U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), which operates under the Department of Homeland Security.

USCIS has now been delegated new authority by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to place individuals into fast-track deportation proceedings and take additional enforcement actions, according to a memo obtained by CNN.

This marks a significant shift from long-standing USCIS protocol, which has traditionally focused on processing immigration benefits, not enforcement.

USCIS spokesperson Matthew Tragesser stated the agency had “nothing to announce at this time,” but affirmed that USCIS’s top priority remains screening and vetting all foreign nationals seeking to come, live, or work in the United States.

He added that President Trump and Secretary Noem have empowered USCIS to ensure the integrity of the immigration system, uncover fraud, and remove illegal aliens from the country.

Typically, individuals deemed ineligible for relief are referred by USCIS to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for the next stage.

However, under the new guidance, USCIS could now initiate expedited removal without an immigration court hearing, a role historically reserved for ICE and U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

Immigration advocates and experts have raised concerns that USCIS’s expanded enforcement role will deter asylum seekers from applying, undermining protections established under U.S. and international law.

Sarah Mehta, deputy director of government affairs for the ACLU’s equality division, noted, “They’re turning the agency that we think of as providing immigration benefits as an enforcement arm for ICE.”

Migrants whose applications are dismissed under this plan will be subject to expedited removal, a process previously expanded by the administration to include any undocumented immigrant unable to prove two years of continuous U.S. residence.

Immigration judges have also been instructed to dismiss “legally deficient” asylum cases without a hearing.

CNN reported that some long-term U.S. residents have already received notices of their asylum applications being dismissed without a ruling, though the total number of dismissals remains unclear.

Michael Knowles, executive vice president of the American Federation of Government Employees Council 119, which represents USCIS workers, opposed the policy, asserting it violates the legal rights of asylum seekers.

“Under the Immigration and Nationality Act, an alien has the right to apply for asylum and have due process whether or not they arrived at a designated port of entry,” he stated.

Conchita Cruz, co-executive director of the Asylum Seeker Advocacy Project, emphasized that the dismissal of applications would hurt not only the applicants but also their families, employers, and communities.

“The government should process asylum applications not throw them out,” she said.

“These are immigrants who have been in the U.S. working legally for years and are contributing to local communities throughout the country.”

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