Trump Administration Imposes Sweeping New Security Checks to Gut Legal Immigration

The Trump administration is doubling down on its assault on legal immigration by mandating enhanced FBI security checks for broad categories of immigrants applying for benefits like green cards, asylum, and citizenship. Internal U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) documents obtained by CBS News reveal that officers must now resubmit pending cases for expanded fingerprint-based screenings, effectively freezing approvals until the new checks are completed.

This policy shift stems from a February executive order signed by President Trump that forced the Justice Department and FBI to grant USCIS "maximum" access to criminal history databases. The White House framed this as a crackdown on "criminal actors," a thinly veiled justification to cast a wide net over immigrants and delay or deny their applications.

USCIS officers were instructed to re-run FBI background checks on any case where fingerprint data was received before April 27, unless the application is already slated for denial. The agency confirmed to CBS News that these enhanced security checks are now in effect and causing processing delays, though they claim any backlog will be brief.

This latest crackdown fits into a broader pattern of Trump administration tactics designed to choke off immigration. Since returning to power, USCIS has aggressively scrutinized applicants for vague "anti-American" views, paused asylum processing, and frozen immigration requests from nationals of 39 countries targeted by the so-called "travel ban."

By weaponizing access to federal criminal databases and imposing new bureaucratic hurdles, the administration continues to dismantle the legal immigration system under the guise of national security. The result is a grinding slowdown that punishes immigrants, separates families, and undermines America's historic role as a refuge and land of opportunity.

We will keep tracking these authoritarian moves that prioritize political theater over human rights and democratic norms. The stakes could not be higher for immigrants and the integrity of the U.S. immigration system.