US changes asylum rules to cut backlog

Washington, July 28 (IANS) The Trump administration has changed the US asylum system to allow immigration officials to send certain applications directly to immigration judges without first interviewing applicants, a move the government says will reduce a large backlog but immigrant advocates say will weaken due process.

The interim final rule allows US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to refer affirmative asylum applications to immigration judges without conducting an initial interview.