Trump Speeds Up Deportations: Judges Can Deny Asylum Without a Hearing

• Thanks to Trump, judges can now deny asylum cases without a hearing
• New directive aims to ease immigration court backlog
• Lawyers warn of potential abuse in immigration courts

The administration of President Donald Trump has tightened its grip on immigration policy once again.

A new directive now allows immigration judges to dismiss asylum applications deemed “insufficient” without holding a hearing.

This change exposes many asylum seekers to immediate deportation, stripping them of the opportunity to present their case before a judge.

The instruction was issued by the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR), a Department of Justice agency that oversees U.S. immigration courts.

Trump Moves to Deny Asylum Without a Hearing

Immigration judges will be allowed to dismiss “deficient” asylum cases without a hearing #Mesaredonda https://t.co/e38xfjyjrw

— La Mesa Redonda (@lamesaredondan1) April 16, 2025

According to a recent memo, current immigration law already permits judges to summarily deny legally invalid asylum cases—but this new order encourages broader application of that authority.

Interim EOIR Director Sirce Owen stated that judges must better manage their caseloads, blaming them in part for the historic backlog in immigration courts.

According to Owen, the EOIR is currently facing a backlog of nearly 4 million cases.

This policy shift is being viewed by legal experts as a mechanism to speed up deportations and clear court dockets of cases deemed unqualified.

Fernando Romo, immigration attorney and advisor to Asosal, told EFE that this move is essentially a tactic to fast-track removals.

“Unfortunately, we’re going to see a lot of abuse from some immigration judges who will feel empowered to deny cases without even holding a hearing,” he warned.

Romo also explained that the order is a response to the massive increase in asylum requests over the past four years.

This is not the first time Trump has attempted to accelerate immigration proceedings, according to EFE.

During his first term (2017–2021), he tried to impose case quotas on judges—an effort that ultimately failed.

However, the push to streamline immigration courts did not begin with Trump. According to EFE, the system has been under strain since the Obama administration (2009–2017).

With this new measure in place, thousands of immigrants could lose access to legal protection and see their asylum cases denied, facing immediate deportation without ever seeing a courtroom.

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