Trump Administration's New Rule May Halt Asylum Seekers' Work Permits

The Trump administration has announced a proposed rule that could potentially pause work permits for asylum seekers, marking one of the most substantial changes in decades. Issued by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the proposal seeks to diminish the incentives for migrants to file for asylum with the aim of obtaining legal work authorization. This move is said to alleviate processing workloads to enhance security checks.

This proposed rule is part of a broader strategy from Trump's administration to curb both legal and illegal immigration. Returning to office in 2025, President Trump campaigned on a platform critical of immigrants, framing them as societal burdens despite evidence to the contrary. Under this proposal, processing work permits for new asylum seekers would halt until certain applications average processing times drop to 180 days or less, with DHS estimating a wait spanning from 14 to 173 years, acknowledging factors that might alter this timeline.

Additional measures proposed include creating stricter eligibility criteria for asylum-based work permits. Entry into the U.S. illegally could disqualify migrants from obtaining or renewing work permits, barring some limited exceptions. Critics, including immigrant advocates and Democrats, argue that these measures undermine U.S. and international laws protecting asylum seekers.