# U.S. issues asylum fraud directive targeting immigration attorneys  
**Published:** 2026-05-27T18:27:53.000Z  
**Source:** [Nebraska Examiner](https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/05/27/repub/trump-administration-targets-attorneys-who-file-fraudulent-asylum-claims/)  
**AI-generated:** yes (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001)  
**Canonical:** https://lincolne.news/article/u-s-issues-asylum-fraud-directive-targeting-immigration-attorneys

The Trump administration has issued a new directive ordering immigration enforcement officials to aggressively pursue cases against attorneys who file fraudulent asylum claims, marking an escalation in the administration's broader effort to restrict asylum access and challenge immigration lawyers.

[The Department of Homeland Security instructed U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on May 26](https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/05/27/repub/trump-administration-targets-attorneys-who-file-fraudulent-asylum-claims/) to develop anti-fraud policies and take action against immigration attorneys who file false asylum claims in immigration court. The directive gives ICE attorneys greater authority to enforce federal document fraud laws while pursuing enforcement cases that previously relied more heavily on criminal prosecution and immigration judges to deter fraudulent filings.

DHS General Counsel James Percival said the directive addresses what he characterized as a systemic problem in immigration court. "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," Percival said in a statement accompanying the directive.

However, the limited available data suggests asylum fraud is extremely rare. [A 2015 Government Accountability Office report found that as asylum applications increased during the early 2010s, terminations of asylum status due to discovered fraud declined, from 103 in 2010 to 34 in 2014.](https://www.gao.gov/assets/gao-16-50.pdf) U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services granted asylum to 76,122 people during that period and terminated asylum status for only 374 due to fraud.

The directive comes as part of the administration's broader push to restrict asylum access. [In April, a federal appeals court struck down an executive order by President Donald Trump seeking to close the U.S. border to asylum-seekers,](https://stateline.org/2026/04/24/appeals-court-says-trump-administration-must-open-borders-to-asylum-seekers/) ruling that the policy violated federal laws affording individuals the right to apply for asylum. The appeals court found the executive order and related administration guidance to turn back asylum-seekers without a court hearing were "unlawful."

Immigration lawyers and advocates have raised concerns that the administration is targeting legal representation. [Heather Hogan, policy and practice counsel at the American Immigration Lawyers Association, said the administration is "doubling down" on the incorrect assertion that immigration attorneys coach clients to provide false information in court,](https://thehill.com/homenews/5895886-homeland-security-targets-asylum-fraud/) noting that fraud tends to originate with organized criminal networks rather than U.S.-based attorneys.

The directive does not create new legal penalties but signals that ICE attorneys will use existing administrative enforcement tools more frequently. [The memo indicates ICE must ensure that any attorney pursuing fraud violations is appropriately separated from litigation of the underlying immigration case to avoid conflicts of interest.](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/dhs-memo-directs-ice-to-ramp-up-asylum-related-fraud-cases/)

## Sources

- [Nebraska Examiner](https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/05/27/repub/trump-administration-targets-attorneys-who-file-fraudulent-asylum-claims/)
- [Government Accountability Office 2015 report on asylum fraud](https://www.gao.gov/assets/gao-16-50.pdf)
- [Stateline article on federal appeals court striking down Trump's asylum executive order](https://stateline.org/2026/04/24/appeals-court-says-trump-administration-must-open-borders-to-asylum-seekers/)
- [The Hill article on immigration lawyers' response to the directive](https://thehill.com/homenews/5895886-homeland-security-targets-asylum-fraud/)
- [CBS News report on DHS memo directing ICE enforcement](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/dhs-memo-directs-ice-to-ramp-up-asylum-related-fraud-cases/)

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This article was generated by AI (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001) based on source material from Nebraska Examiner, enriched with 3 web searches. The original source is available at https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/05/27/repub/trump-administration-targets-attorneys-who-file-fraudulent-asylum-claims/.