Trump administration overhauls asylum process, eliminates interviews to speed deportations

President Donald Trump's administration has introduced a new regulation that significantly curtails due process for asylum applicants, enabling faster deportation proceedings.

Key Changes to Asylum Procedures

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)—the agency responsible for visas, green cards, naturalizations, and other legal immigration processes—published a new regulation on Monday. The rule allows officers to refer hundreds of thousands of asylum applicants directly to deportation proceedings without conducting interviews.

The regulation eliminates USCIS's long-standing practice of offering interviews to asylum applicants already in the United States. The agency claimed it had previously offered interviews despite there being "no statutory right to an interview or requirement to conduct one." The rule also removes references in Department of Homeland Security materials to a "right" to an interview and language stating that asylum officers would review cases "in an interview."

Impact on Applicants

"This means many people will never get a chance to argue their case," Aaron Reichlin-Melchick, a senior fellow at the American Immigration Council, wrote on X Monday. To receive asylum, applicants must demonstrate a well-founded fear of persecution in their home country.

According to the filing, the new rule will "more quickly place certain aliens into removal proceedings" with immigration judges at the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR). Once asylum applicants are transferred to EOIR, cases deemed "legally deficient" may be pretermitted—meaning those applicants can be deported without a hearing.

Additional Provisions

The new rule also allows asylum officers to:

• "Determine that the alien does not merit a grant [of asylum] as a matter of discretion without first making an eligibility determination"
• Stop requiring a letter communicating that the basis for referral of asylum should include an assessment of the applicant's credibility

Implementation and Legal Challenges

The rule was published Monday and implemented Tuesday without prior warning or a public comment period. It is expected to face multiple legal challenges under the Administrative Procedures Act.

Read more about deportations: Trump's DHS Plans to Launch Its Own 24/7 Deportation Airline

New Documentary Footage Shows Senator Lindsey Graham Celebrating Iran War

Previously unreleased documentary footage has revealed late South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham's enthusiastic response to the White House's decision to bomb Iran.

Graham's Reaction

"Look what we've done here. I almost cried," Graham says in one video clip, appearing visibly excited.

"I talked to [Donald] Trump this morning, he's jacked, he said, 'Best thing I have ever done.' He loves blowing stuff up," the conservative lawmaker said at the time. "I mean, how long have we been pushing this?"

"There were a lot of people inside that didn't want to do it, so I had my challenges," he added.

Documentary Details

The footage was captured by British filmmaker Alex Holder, who had been granted remarkable access to film Graham since 2023. The material is part of an upcoming documentary currently titled "Lindsey's Graham," referencing the senator's personal perspective on his role in U.S. foreign policy.

"He would call what this was 'a game,'" Holder told The Wall Street Journal, recalling that Graham had shared how bizarre he felt it was that a senator from South Carolina was closer with some Middle East leaders than most presidential administrations.

Graham reportedly agreed to the film's angle, stating he wanted the public to understand his role in the Senate. Holder told the Journal that Graham had remarked how "cool this was."

Historical Comparisons

In another clip expressing his joy with the interventionist strategy, Graham compared Trump to former President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Winston Churchill, likening the burgeoning Middle East conflict to World War II.

"President Trump, when he gets into the zone, he listens, he asks good questions," Graham said.