U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) on Monday announced a change in the asylum system aimed at reducing the backlog of applicants.

The change would allow USCIS to send asylum applications to immigration judges without an interview with the applicant. At present, USCIS either directly adjudicates the case or sends it to an immigration judge for a second look. In a press release on Monday, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said the current system gives applicants a de facto "second chance at asylum."

"For far too long, the asylum system has been exploited for purposes of delay and work authorization, not legitimate claims of protection," USCIS Director Joseph Edlow said. "America's asylum system exists to protect individuals who genuinely fear persecution and this rule will help ensure that resources are directed to the timely adjudication of these claims instead of those seeking to use the system as a loophole."

Asylum claims have become one of the most prominent ways for illegal immigrants to secure some form of legal status in the U.S., by claiming fear of persecution should they return to their home country.

President Donald Trump's Remain in Mexico policy, however, requires illegal aliens to wait across the border until the adjudication of their asylum claims, rather than allowing release to the U.S. interior in the interim.

Ben Whedon is the Chief Political Correspondent for Just the News. Follow him on X.