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A immigration lawyer explained that the recent decision by the United States government to suspend all decisions regarding affirmative asylum applications leaves approximately 250,000 immigrants in legal limbo.
However, according to her exclusive statements to Noticias Telemundo, Kathia Quirós clarified that this does not imply the total closure of the asylum system and, in many cases, requires continuing the process carefully and without abandoning the cases that have already been initiated.
Quirós detailed that the memorandum issued by the director of the Immigration Office is directed to the officials reviewing affirmative asylum cases, meaning those in which the immigrant themselves applies for asylum directly at the Immigration Office (USCIS), after having entered the country, either with legal status or undocumented.
He clarified that this announcement does not affect the defensive asylum application presented before immigration courts, which, for now, will continue to be processed.
Regarding individuals who already have a pending affirmative asylum case and are detained by immigration agents, the lawyer explained that there are two main scenarios.
They may be released while a decision is being made in their process or they may be placed in deportation proceedings and, in that context, they will need to request a bond to continue the case from their homes.
He emphasized that it is essential for migrants to be aware of this possibility and to seek legal advice if they are placed in custody.
Quirós recalled that, currently, there are thousands of people with affirmative asylum applications that have been waiting for an interview for six, eight, or even ten years.
He pointed out that, according to the memorandum, officials will continue conducting interviews; that is, appointments may keep coming at any time, but what they will not be able to do is make a final decision on those cases.
This means that many applicants will continue to be called for interviews, although they will remain in indefinite waiting until the government changes its position.
In an interview with Telemundo regarding individuals who already have approved asylum, the attorney indicated that the president has requested that all granted asylum cases as well as the permanent residences obtained through this route be reviewed.
He clarified, however, that there are still no details on how this review process will be carried out and that the memorandum known so far is limited to pausing future asylum decisions, not reversing those that have already been made.
A quarter of a million asylum cases affected
Regarding the scope of the measure, Quirós pointed out that there are millions of asylum seekers, but not all of them are before USCIS: a significant portion of those cases is processed in immigration courts, which are not included in this pause.
The processes directly affected by the suspension are, according to estimates, between 230,000 and 250,000 affirmative asylum cases that are within the Immigration Office.
The lawyer emphasized that, in this situation, the most important thing for migrants is to stay informed, not abandon their processes, attend interviews when summoned, and seek specialized legal advice, especially if they are detained or receive new notifications about their cases.
Meanwhile, the suspension of decisions keeps hundreds of thousands of applicants in an indefinite wait, anticipating whether the administration will change its security protocols and asylum policy.
Suspensions of asylum
The United States government immediately suspended all decisions related to asylum applications, following the attack that occurred this week near the White House, where an Afghan citizen shot two members of the National Guard, resulting in the death of a 20-year-old soldier and leaving another military member seriously injured.
According to confirmed by the administration itself, the measure will remain in place until it is ensured that all foreigners are investigated and selected "to the greatest extent possible."
In a statement attributed to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), the Executive explained that no asylum decisions will be processed or approved until the review of the security protocols applied to protection applicants is completed.
The pause comes amid a significant hardening of the immigration rhetoric from President Donald Trump, who, in a lengthy post on Truth Social during the Thanksgiving holiday, announced that his administration will permanently suspend migration from all Third World countries, describing the current situation as a "destructive invasion."
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