The Trump administration has launched a nationwide effort to cancel thousands of active asylum cases, CBS News reported on Tuesday, citing internal immigration court actions. The campaign involves U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) attorneys asking judges to dismiss asylum claims without hearing them on their merits.
According to the report, ICE is requesting that asylum-seekers be deported to countries other than their home nations, including Guatemala, Honduras, Ecuador, and Uganda. The move represents a significant shift in U.S. immigration enforcement policy.
This initiative comes as President Donald Trump prepares for a more aggressive crackdown on immigration in 2026. The Republican-controlled Congress approved a major spending package in July, providing ICE and U.S. Border Patrol with $170 billion in new funding through September 2029. This represents a dramatic increase from their existing annual budgets of roughly $19 billion.
Asylum advocates have criticized the approach, arguing that dismissing claims without hearings undermines due process and could force vulnerable individuals into unsafe conditions.
The White House, ICE, and the Department of Homeland Security have not immediately responded to requests for comment as reported in Reuters.
