The Trump administration is adopting a new rule that would shorten the time refugees have to challenge the termination of their legal status, marking another restriction on legal immigration pathways as the White House continues its immigration enforcement crackdown.The new policy, which takes effect Wednesday without undergoing the usual advance public notice-and-comment process, reduces the time refugees have to respond to a notice of intent to terminate their status from 30 days to 10.According to the new rule, the administration is aiming to "mitigate potential risks" linked to people who were admitted as refugees but were not eligible for refugee status.The documents pointed to refugees admitted during the Biden administration, claiming there was an "alarming erosion of the integrity" of the refugee program during those years, although refugee advocates dispute that allegation.TRUMP ADMIN PAUSES VISA APPOINTMENTS WORLDWIDE AMID HEIGHTENED SCREENING FOR APPLICANTSThe Trump administration is adopting a new rule that would cut the time refugees have to challenge the termination of their legal status.(Photo by Jim WATSON / AFP via Getty Images)"A review of refugee processing policies and procedures implemented under the Biden administration indicates an alarming erosion of integrity leading to aliens being admitted to the United States as refugees when their identities, eligibility for refugee classification, and admissibility were determined based on incomplete records," DHS' document reads."The priority of expediency over quality encouraged a lack of robust interviews," it added.
"Certain questions to ensure that aliens were eligible for refugee status prior to admission to the United States were omitted and this increased the risk of ineligible aliens being approved for refugee classification and subsequently admitted to the United States."A spokesman for Citizenship and Immigration Services, Zach Kahler, similarly said the agency has found "an alarming erosion...