(VOVWORLD) - The Trump administration on Tuesday launched a nationwide campaign to void the asylum claims of thousands of immigrants whose cases are pending in immigration courts, arguing that they can be deported to countries that are not their own.
Under the new policy, attorneys representing US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have asked immigration judges to dismiss asylum applications without hearing them on the merits, and to order the removal of applicants to countries such as Guatemala, Honduras, Ecuador, and Uganda.
The White House, the Department of Homeland Security, and ICE have not commented on the report. However, recent actions suggest that the Trump administration is preparing to further tighten immigration controls next year, with plans to allocate an additional 170 billion USD to ICE and the US Border Patrol through September 2029 to implement the campaign.