The Trump administration is directing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to increase enforcement activity against immigration attorneys suspected of helping file fraudulent asylum claims. Multiple outlets report that a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) memo—dated Tuesday—orders ICE attorneys to pursue more administrative fraud cases involving lawyers accused of improperly submitting asylum applications on behalf of clients.
According to the reports, the DHS directive instructs ICE to ramp up efforts and to craft or implement new approaches to target alleged fraud linked to the asylum process. CBS News describes the memo as coming from a senior DHS legal official and characterizes it as guidance to ICE lawyers to increase enforcement.
The Hill and The Independent similarly describe the move as an escalation of scrutiny into asylum-related legal pathways, focusing specifically on attorneys accused of false filings. Together, the coverage indicates the administration is prioritizing enforcement actions against individuals it alleges are facilitating or participating in asylum fraud, rather than only targeting asylum seekers.
