DHS memo directs ICE to ramp up asylum-related fraud cases

Exclusive Politics DHS memo directs ICE to ramp up asylum-related fraud cases By Nicole Sganga Nicole Sganga Homeland Security and Justice Correspondent Nicole Sganga is CBS News' homeland security and justice correspondent. She is based in Washington, D.C., and reports for all shows and platforms. Read Full Bio Nicole Sganga May 26, 2026 / 11:25 AM EDT / CBS News Add CBS News on Google Washington — The Department of Homeland Security's top lawyer on Tuesday directed Immigration and Customs Enforcement attorneys to aggressively pursue administrative fraud cases against immigration lawyers accused of filing false asylum claims, the latest step in the administration's push to speed up removals, expand enforcement and challenge the legal infrastructure around immigration.In a memo dated May 26 and obtained by CBS News, DHS General Counsel James Percival instructed ICE attorneys within the Office of the Principal Legal Advisor to develop "anti-fraud policies" designed for "robust enforcement" of existing federal anti-fraud law. The memo said that any effort "should include enforcement against immigration attorneys filing false asylum claims in immigration court."While the directive does not create new penalties, it signals that ICE lawyers will begin to use existing administrative enforcement tools more frequently to crack down not only against migrants accused of submitting fraudulent applications, but also against the lawyers who represent them. "For many years, millions of illegal aliens have committed fraud on our immigration system," Percival wrote, without citing specifics. "In no place is this more rampant than in immigration court."The sweeping directive asserted that asylum claims are meant for "unique and narrow circumstances," but that it has become "standard practice" for immigration lawyers to argue that "virtually every illegal alien" faces persecution or torture in their home country because of a protected characteristic such as race or politic...