DHS Ends Guaranteed Asylum Interviews, Clearing a Faster Path to Deportation Court

Aerial view of migrants camping on the banks of the Rio Bravo river (or Rio Grande river, as it is called in the US) in Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua state, Mexico, taken on November 15, 2022. - A US federal judge ruled on November 15 that the government could not use public health rules to block the entry of asylum-seeking migrants, marking the apparent end of a controversial Donald Trump-era policy that has been criticized as cruel and ineffective. (Credit: Photo by HERIKA MARTINEZ / AFP) (Photo by HERIKA MARTINEZ/AFP via Getty Images)

As of Tuesday, July 28, federal asylum officers no longer have to sit down with certain applicants before sending their cases to an immigration judge. DHS announced the shift Monday, publishing an interim final rule that took effect the moment it hit the Federal Register — no advance comment period required.

Officials describe it as a fix for an agency drowning in paperwork. Immigration attorneys describe it as something closer to a fast lane toward denial, one that could leave applicants facing a judge without ever having explained their situation to a trained officer first.