The Department of Homeland Security is warning immigration attorneys that filing meritless asylum applications will carry consequences, as the agency works to clear a backlog of nearly 3.5 million immigration cases, including 2.3 million asylum claims still pending in the nation’s courts.
DHS General Counsel James Percival issued the warning Wednesday, telling lawyers that most of the asylum claims currently filling the system lack merit and are being used for purposes other than protecting migrants fleeing danger.
Meritless asylum applications are filed to obtain work permits, to delay deportation, and to force a release from custody.
Percival said such filings crowd out legitimate asylum seekers who need the protection and stated that meritless claims “will be dealt with accordingly.”
The warning is part of a broader effort by DHS to work through the immigration case backlog since President Trump began his second term, while signaling to attorneys that fraudulent filings will draw scrutiny.
This is not the first time the agency has moved against individual lawyers. In July, Percival called for a fine of nearly $500,000 against an immigration attorney accused of filing dozens of false immigration cases on behalf of clients seeking to obtain legal status through fraud. That penalty marked the second time Percival had sanctioned an attorney for fraudulent asylum-related filings.
In his latest letter, Percival said attorneys who submit false applications will face penalties and confirmed that DHS will “vigorously pursue all available remedies” against immigration fraud.
