Asylum blocked, green cards frozen: Inside Trump's immigration crackdown

In March 2025, US DHS confirmed it had paused green card processing for those already granted asylum or refugee status

For years, asylum-seekers from India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Ghana and other countries have travelled to the United States hoping to find protection from violence, persecution or political unrest.

 

Many waited months in shelters near the southern border or crossed deserts with children in tow — all for the chance to explain their situation to a US immigration officer. That opportunity has now vanished.

 

On January 20, 2025, shortly after being sworn in for a second term, President Donald Trump suspended the country’s asylum system through a set of executive orders targeting what he described as an “invasion” at the southern border.

 

 

“We did everything right,” a 36-year-old Russian asylum-seeker told the Associated Press after being deported to Costa Rica with his wife and young son. The man, who asked not to be named, said he had fled after filming election rigging in Russia. “We felt betrayed,” he said, describing how his scheduled interview was cancelled days before it was meant to happen.

 

No interviews, no process

 

“They didn’t give us an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer to talk to. They didn’t give us an interview. No one asked me what happened,” the same applicant said.

 

Lawyers, activists and migrants now describe a system with few clear rules, in which people can be deported after brief encounters with officials, or left in detention with no update on their status.

 

“It’s really difficult to consult and advise with individuals when we don’t know what the process is,” said Paulina Reyes-Perrariz, managing attorney at the Immigrant Defenders Law Centre in San Diego. Her office, which once received 10 to 15 asylum queries daily, now gets barely any.

 

Bella Mosselmans, director at the Global Strategic Litigation Council, said, “I don’t think it’s completely clear to anyone what happens when people show up and ask for asylum.”

 

Indians caught in the crossfire

 

India is now among the top countries affected by the asylum overhaul. As per US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) data:

 

* Indian asylum claims rose from 5,000 in 2021 to more than 41,000 in 2023

* Border apprehensions of Indian nationals surged from around 1,000 in 2020 to 43,000 in 2023

* India ranked fifth in defensive asylum claims and seventh in affirmative filings

 

Indian immigrants, who numbered over 2.9 million in the US as of 2023, may face increasing obstacles to legal residence.

 

Following Trump’s return, US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) shut down the CBP One mobile app, used to schedule interviews.

 

Legal battle underway

 

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) filed a lawsuit on February 4, 2025, challenging Trump’s orders to close the asylum system. The case, filed in federal court in Washington, DC, argues the orders violate the United States’ legal duty to protect those fleeing harm.

 

The government claims its actions fall under the president’s powers to suspend entry using section 212(f) of the Immigration and Nationality Act. It also contends that its designation of the southern border as an “invasion” cannot be reviewed by the courts.

 

Kush Desai, a White House spokesperson, said, “President Trump was given a resounding mandate to end the disregard and abuse of our immigration laws and secure our borders. The administration will continue to put Americans and America First.”

 

Green card freeze for refugees and asylees

 

In March 2025, the Department of Homeland Security confirmed it had paused green card processing for those already granted asylum or refugee status.

 

CBS News reported that US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) had been told to halt all such applications pending new security vetting measures, including social media checks.

 

“This stop in processing will unfairly block people who have full eligibility to gain permanent status in the United States,” said Azadeh Erfani, director of policy at the National Immigrant Justice Center. “USCIS already conducts extensive vetting of all individuals who apply for permanent resident status.”

 

David Bier, director of immigration studies at the Cato Institute, wrote on X, “DHS is suspending green card applications for people who are already living in the US with asylee or refugee status! These applications have insane wait times already, and Trump is freezing them solely to make it easier to deny the applications and deport them.”

 

The administration has also started deporting people to third countries. Since February, about 200 migrants have been sent to Costa Rica and 300 to Panama, where they are held temporarily before being transferred to their home or another accepting country.

 

Even during Joe Biden’s presidency, the asylum system had already begun tightening. In June 2024, Biden invoked section 212(f) to restrict claims, although his order allowed some exemptions, including interviews for people who showed fear of persecution. It also permitted appointments via the CBP One app — which Trump has now scrapped.

 

With inputs from AP