EXCLUSIVE: Trump admin fast-tracks asylum cases, bypassing interviews to slash backlog
The interim final rule takes effect immediately and aims to reduce the nation's growing immigration backlog
Brittany Miller By Brittany Miller Fox News
Published July 27, 2026 8:45am EDT
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FIRST ON FOX: 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.
FILE - USCIS generally interviews affirmative asylum applicants before either granting asylum or conducting a separate review, which DHS said allows immigrants to "get a second chance at asylum." (iStock)
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.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/exclusive-trump-admin-fast-tracks-asylum-cases-bypassing-interviews-slash-backlog
