The Trump administration’s new plan could end asylum claims and speed up deportations for hundreds of thousands of migrants who entered the United States unlawfully. This sweeping policy change targets approximately 1.45 million people with pending affirmative asylum applications, and it could affect much of this population.
USCIS data shows that 25 percent of applicants who sought asylum over the last decade entered the country unlawfully. The new deportation plan would subject these individuals to quick removal—a process that lets immigration authorities deport people without immigration judge hearings. The administration has dedicated nearly $150 billion to fund mass deportation efforts throughout the next four years.
This fundamental change transforms how officials process asylum claims. Dismissed cases will lead to immediate deportation and expand the pool of undocumented immigrants targeted for removal. The administration’s broader immigration enforcement strategy includes plans to more than double ICE’s detention capacity from 41,000 to 100,000 people.
Trump Administration Dismisses Asylum Claims to Accelerate Deportations
Image Source: Human Rights Watch
“The Trump administration gave federal officers a national quota to arrest at least 1,200 undocumented immigrants every day — more than double the highest daily average of 500 arrests in 2014 and four times more than the 300-per-day average over the past 10 years.” — Texas Tribune Staff, Journalists covering immigration policy
The Trump administration has launched a tough plan to reject hundreds of thousands of pending asylum claims. The plan targets people who crossed the border without permission and later asked for asylum protection in the United States.
Policy targets migrants who entered unlawfully and later applied for asylum
The Department of Homeland Security wants to close asylum cases for people who entered without inspection. This would make them eligible for immediate deportation. US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has new powers from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. These powers let them put people in quick removal proceedings and “take additional actions to enforce civil and criminal violations of immigration laws”.
Immigration judges must now dismiss cases without hearings. Critics say this is like “slamming shut the courthouse door on people who have the right to seek asylum and a fair day in court”. USCIS has changed from helping immigrants to enforcing laws. An ACLU supporter points out they’re “turning the agency that we think of as providing immigration benefits as an enforcement arm for ICE”.
At least 250,000 asylum seekers could be affected
A 2023 federal report shows that 25% of people who asked USCIS for asylum in the last decade came to the United States without permission. This means about 250,000 people could face quick deportation. The system still has 1.4 million asylum applications waiting to be processed.
Plan aims to meet daily deportation quotas
These policy changes come from a White House order to boost arrest numbers. Officials say ICE must now arrest 3,000 migrants each day—three times more than before.
Stephen Miller, who shapes Trump’s immigration policies, told ICE officials in late May to “pick up any immigration offenders and not worry about targeted operations that focus on criminals.” People who know about the meeting say it was “all about the numbers, not the level of criminality”.
ICE has stepped up its operations after Miller criticized senior officials for low arrest numbers. The agency now arrests people during regular ICE check-ins—even those who were following all reporting rules.
USCIS Gains Power to Enforce Deportation Orders
Image Source: The Washington Post
A landmark Homeland Security memo from January 2025 has changed USCIS’s role. The agency has evolved from processing benefits to becoming central to the administration’s deportation efforts.
Homeland Security memo expands USCIS authority
The January memo lets USCIS officers “take all steps necessary” to review cases and remove individuals who entered unlawfully. USCIS officers now have unprecedented power to enforce deportation orders without judicial review. Since January 20, 2025, USCIS’s collaboration with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has led to 369 arrests at field offices. This marks a fundamental change from the agency’s original purpose.
Change from benefits agency to enforcement role
USCIS was designed to handle immigration benefits, not enforcement. “Their mandate has always been administering immigration benefits,” noted one immigration support organization. The agency has changed faster into an enforcement arm. It completed 7,120 benefit fraud records and sent 462 benefit fraud cases to ICE for criminal investigation since January. USCIS wants to move over $200 million from its budget to ICE for enforcement, including hiring more than 300 law enforcement officers.
Experts warn of chilling effect on asylum seekers
Immigration advocates are concerned about USCIS’s transformation. The National Immigrant Justice Center stated, “This memo continues to place too much power over people’s fates and freedom in the hands of a corps of officers with an extensive history of racial profiling, due process violations, and human rights abuses”. Experts believe this change will discourage legitimate asylum seekers from seeking protection. The policy targets anyone crossing the southern border without permission. Officers might apply this to asylum seekers who cannot request protection at ports of entry. People with valid asylum claims might face immediate removal without a chance to present their cases.
How Expedited Removal Bypasses Immigration Courts
Image Source: Arizona Mirror
The Trump administration’s mass deportation strategy relies heavily on speeding up removals. This process lets officials skip the traditional immigration court system.
What is expedited removal and how it works
Expedited removal lets immigration officers deport certain noncitizens without an immigration judge’s hearing. Congress created this mechanism in 1996. It gives Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials power to deport undocumented people in just one day. We used this mostly for people who entered without authorization and can’t prove they’ve lived in the U.S. for at least two years. It also applies to those who were paroled into the U.S. but had their parole status revoked.
Lack of judicial hearings raises due process concerns
Standard removal proceedings give noncitizens the right to formal processes that protect basic rights. People can present evidence, call witnesses, and challenge the government’s case in these proceedings. But expedited removal strips away these protections. Immigration officers, not judges, make the final decisions about removal. They often do this after brief interviews. Critics point out that without proper review and a neutral person to arbitrate, the risk of mistakes goes up. This could lead to wrongful removal of people with valid protection claims.
Impact on pending asylum applications
Asylum seekers face special challenges with expedited removal. Congress required a screening interview for anyone who fears returning home. Yet the administration’s policies make things harder for asylum seekers. The process demands people prove “clearly and beyond doubt” they qualify for exceptions. Many legitimate asylum seekers get deported right away because they don’t have time or resources to gather proof. The administration also tells immigration judges to dismiss pending court cases quick. This makes these people eligible for expedited removal, whatever their asylum claims.
Legal Experts and Advocates Challenge the Plan
“There can be no doubt that Trump would attempt to defy constitutional and other legal protections in service of his draconian goal.” — ACLU Staff, American Civil Liberties Union, national advocacy organization
Legal experts and advocacy groups have intensified their opposition to the Trump deportation plan by filing lawsuits that challenge its constitutionality. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) leads multiple legal actions against what they describe as an unprecedented assault on due process rights.
ACLU and immigration lawyers raise constitutional issues
The ACLU has sued the Trump administration over its deportation policy. They cite violations of the Fifth Amendment’s due process clause, the Immigration and Nationality Act, and the Administrative Procedure Act. ACLU attorneys argue in their lawsuit that “immigrants would get less due process contesting their deportation than they would contesting a traffic ticket”. Constitutional concerns remain the focus of legal experts. Laurie Levenson, a professor at Loyola Law School, describes the Justice Department’s lawsuit against federal judges as “extraordinary”.
The ACLU has filed more litigation to learn about ICE Air Operations, which helped with deporting more than 140,000 people last year. Eva Bitran, director of immigrants’ rights at ACLU SoCal, stated these deportation flights “would tear apart not only families, but also our communities”.
Union representing USCIS employees voices opposition
AFGE Council 119, which represents USCIS employees, has publicly opposed the administration’s transformation. “Our union opposes any policy that violates basic rights guaranteed to asylum seekers by US and International law,” said Michael Knowles, the union’s executive vice president. The union emphasized that “under the Immigration and Nationality Act, an alien has the right to apply for asylum — and have due process in their pursuit of the same — whether or not they arrived at a designated port of entry”.
Potential court battles and legislative oversight
Congressional Democrats have tried to visit immigration facilities but faced strong resistance. Federal law prohibits DHS from denying Congress members access to facilities housing detainees. However, new guidelines request 72 hours’ notice before visits. The law states members of Congress are not required to provide “prior notice of the intent to enter a facility.” Yet officials claim that “a week is sufficient to ensure no intrusion on the president’s constitutional authority”.
The administration’s legal strategy challenges judicial authority itself. Legal scholars find Attorney General Pamela Bondi’s statement particularly concerning: “this pattern of judicial overreach undermines the democratic process and cannot be allowed to stand”.
Trump’s mass deportation plan shows a complete overhaul of U.S. immigration enforcement. The administration has changed how asylum processing works through policies that target people who entered the country without proper authorization. Of course, this approach marks an unprecedented expansion of quick removal powers and reduces judicial oversight at the same time.
These changes mean much more than just new procedures. About 250,000 asylum seekers might face immediate deportation under new policies that care more about numbers than individual cases. USCIS used to focus on processing benefits but now works more on enforcement—a change that worries both employees and advocacy groups.
The courts will shape how these policies work in practice. The ACLU and other groups have already fought back against what they see as violations of constitutional rights, especially due process. Congress can’t properly oversee these facilities even though the law says they can visit them.
Asylum seekers feel the worst effects. People with pending applications might see their cases thrown out, whatever their merits. Supporters say this tackles unauthorized entry, but critics say these policies shut down legal pathways that both U.S. and international law created.
As this deportation strategy rolls out, courts will decide if executive power can revolutionize asylum processing without Congress’s approval. Right now, hundreds of thousands of people are stuck between fast-changing policies and futures they can’t predict.