EXCLUSIVE – The Department of Homeland Security has issued new guidance directing its immigration attorneys to seek early dismissal of asylum claims they determine are legally insufficient, according to internal guidance obtained by Fox News Digital.Effective immediately, attorneys with U.S.Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Office of the Principal Legal Advisor (OPLA) are expected to seek dismissal of asylum applications they determine fail to meet the legal standard on their face by filing motions to pretermit in immigration court.A motion to pretermit asks an immigration judge to deny an asylum application before a full merits hearing because the government argues the application is legally insufficient. Immigration judges ultimately decide whether to grant those motions.ICE SEEKS NEARLY $500K FINE AGAINST IMMIGRATION LAWYER ACCUSED OF FILING FAKE ASYLUM CLAIMSA law enforcement officer walks past ICE logo ahead of a press conference on Thursday, May 11, 2017, at the U.S.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement headquarters in Washington, DC.(Salwan Georges/The Washington Post via Getty Images)The guidance is intended to expedite the adjudication of asylum claims that satisfy the legal requirements while allowing the government to challenge deficient applications earlier in the immigration court process.The directive also reinforces the administration's ongoing focus on combating asylum fraud, including continued efforts to hold attorneys accountable for facilitating fraudulent asylum claims.TRUMP ADMIN EYES HISTORIC MASS VISA REVOCATION TARGETING UP TO 200K ASYLUM SEEKERS: REPORTU.S.
Citizenship and Immigration Services Director Joseph Edlow testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee in Washington.The Trump administration has made a series of changes to the asylum system aimed at reducing backlogs and speeding the adjudication of claims.
(Graeme Sloan/Bloomberg via Getty Images)The policy follows a series of recent administration actions aimed at ...