Trump Admin Fast-Tracks Asylum Cases, Bypassing Interviews to Slash Backlog in Bid for Efficiency

The Trump administration has implemented a new policy allowing US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to bypass in-person interviews for asylum claims, effectively slashing the backlog of cases by fast-tracking their processing. This change enables USCIS to refer certain applications directly to immigration judges without requiring an initial interview. As a result, some asylum seekers will no longer have to wait months or even years for an opportunity to present their cases before a judge. The policy shift is aimed at reducing the significant backlog of asylum claims that had been accumulating under previous administrations.