Maryland Judge Blocks Trump Fast-Track Asylum Interviews for Migrant Children for 2 Weeks
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Oct 31
Maryland Judge Blocks Trump Fast-Track Asylum Interviews for Migrant Children for 2 Weeks
3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Oct 31
Summary
A federal judge in Maryland temporarily barred the Trump administration from rapidly scheduling asylum interviews for unaccompanied minors, freezing the policy for at least two weeks.
The order stops interviews set on only a few days' notice—or sometimes less than 24 hours—and also blocks tighter limits on lawyers seeking rescheduling.
Legal aid groups said children had previously received at least 21 days' notice and argued the abrupt shift hurt case preparation and increased the risk of deportation.
Judge Brendan Hurson wrote that the changes conflicted with federal protections for especially vulnerable children and could lead to wrongful removal to places where they face abuse or death.
The ruling hits a broader Trump effort to speed migrant-child cases through USCIS, which the administration has defended as a way to reduce backlogs and prevent abuse.