Overview
- USCIS issued an interim final rule that takes effect immediately and lets the agency refer certain affirmative asylum applications to immigration judges without first holding the customary USCIS interview.
- The change applies only to affirmative claims filed by people not in removal proceedings and does not alter defensive asylum hearings that occur before immigration judges when removal is already underway.
- Administration officials said the rule seeks to stop what they called duplicate reviews that add to a growing backlog and to redirect resources toward applicants with legitimate claims of persecution.
- USCIS opened a public comment period on the rule even as it is enforced now, and the interim-final mechanism leaves the policy subject to revision or legal challenge before a final version is issued.
- The move fits within the administration’s broader push to tighten asylum and border rules and echoes earlier policies such as the Remain in Mexico approach, with possible consequences for how quickly applicants gain access to work authorization and court proceedings.