DHS Takes Additional Steps to Crack Down on Asylum Fraud Immigration attorneys representing illegal aliens frequently coach their clients to conceal their past and even outright lie in their asylum claims WASHINGTON – The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released a new directive instructing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to take additional steps to crack down on fraudulent asylum claims. DHS instructed ICE to develop anti-fraud policies that will further enforce 8 U.S.C. § 1324c(d), a law that establishes penalties for violations of document fraud. As a result of this directive, ICE attorneys have greater authority to enforce this law, including enforcement actions against immigration attorneys who file false asylum claims in an immigration court. “For many years, millions of illegal aliens have committed fraud in our immigration system. No place is this more rampant than in immigration court,” said DHS General Counsel James Percival. “Protection claims like asylum are intended to cover unique and narrow circumstances, but it is standard practice for immigration attorneys representing illegal aliens to assert that virtually every illegal alien is going to be persecuted or tortured in his or her home country. Historically, ICE has depended on the discipline of immigration judges and the enforcement of criminal fraud laws to deter this conduct, but ICE has its own tools. Now, thanks to this directive, ICE attorneys have greater authority to enforce the law and stop the abuse of our asylum system by illegal aliens and attorneys.” This action reaffirms President Donald J. Trump’s commitment to restoring integrity to our immigration system. In March of 2025, President Trump issued a memorandum pointing out that “the immigration bar, and powerful Big Law pro bono practices, frequently coach clients to conceal their past or lie about their circumstances when asserting their asylum claims, all in an attempt to circumvent immigration policies enacted to protect our national security and deceive the immigration authorities and courts into granting them undeserved relief.” | 