Trump Administration Evaluates Controversial Strategy to Expedite Asylum Denials, Deportations

United States President Donald Trump

Trump Administration Evaluates Controversial Strategy to Expedite Asylum Denials, Deportations

By Thenationweek.com

June 30, 2025

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Trump administration is contemplating a contentious approach aimed at rapidly dismissing asylum applications and hastening the deportation of thousands of migrants residing in the United States.

The initiative forms part of a broader agenda to restrict access to asylum and step up deportation efforts.

The proposed strategy targets individuals who have unlawfully entered the United States and subsequently sought asylum.

If implemented, the plan could lead to the swift rejection of their applications, subjecting them to expedited removal—a procedure designed to circumvent standard immigration court processes.

Some 1.45 million individuals with pending affirmative asylum requests are expected to be affected by the plan.

Data from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) showed that about 25 percent of asylum seekers with unlawful entry into the U.S. might face deportation.

The initiative would also empower USCIS, an agency responsible for administering immigration benefits, to initiate deportation proceedings and enforce immigration laws—an unprecedented alteration that raises alarm among legal experts and advocacy groups.

“They are transforming an agency recognized for providing immigration benefits into an enforcement entity for ICE,” remarked Sarah Mehta, deputy director of government affairs for the American Civil Liberties Union’s equality division.

In a communication to CNN, USCIS spokesperson Matthew Tragesser neither confirmed nor refuted the existence of the proposal, saying that the agency has “nothing to announce at this time.”

He reiterated USCIS’s dedication to maintaining the integrity of the immigration system and removing “illegal aliens” from the nation.

Critics contend that this proposed approach contradicts international law and undermines the due process rights of asylum seekers.

Michael Knowles, executive vice president of the American Federation of Government Employees Council 119, which represents USCIS personnel, stated: “Our union opposes any policy that infringes upon the fundamental rights guaranteed to asylum seekers by U.S. and international law.”

“Under the Immigration and Nationality Act, individuals possess the right to apply for asylum and receive due process, irrespective of their entry point or immigration status.”

Advocates cautioned that this policy could inflict severe repercussions on asylum seekers who have resided and contributed to their communities in the U.S. for years.

Conchita Cruz, co-executive director of the Asylum Seeker Advocacy Project, stressed that “the government should be processing asylum applications, not dismissing them.”

“Every asylum seeker deserves the opportunity for their case to be heard. These individuals have been legally employed in the U.S. for years and fulfill essential roles in their local communities. Denying their asylum claims would adversely affect them, their families, employers, and the communities that rely on them,” Cruz explained.

The Trump administration had previously enacted measures to limit asylum access, including the expansion of expedited deportations and directives to immigration judges to dismiss “legally deficient” asylum claims.