{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://mcgarvey.house.gov/media/press-releases/reps-mcgarvey-jayapal-demand-trump-administration-reverse-rule-to-fast-track-ice-detention-and-deportation-proceedings-for-asylum-seekers", "Reps. McGarvey, Jayapal Demand Trump Administration Reverse Rule to Fast-Track ICE Detention and Deportation Proceedings for Asylum Seekers", "2026-08-14", "2026", "2026-08", "Democrat", "House", "KY", "Morgan McGarvey", "M001220", "mcgarvey.house.gov", "mcgarvey", "https://mcgarvey.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "Congressional Democrats say new DHS rule will push more asylum seekers into ICE detention and deportation as arrests at airports surge nationwide\n\nWASHINGTON, D.C. (August 14, 2026) \u2013 Today, Representatives Morgan McGarvey (KY-03) and Pramila Jayapal (WA-07) led 69 Congressional Democrats in a letter to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) calling on the Trump administration to withdraw its new rule allowing asylum officers to reject an affirmative asylum seeker\u2019s case without an interview and refer him or her directly to immigration court for deportation proceedings.\n\nThe rule comes as ICE ramps up arrests of individuals at airports, including those with legal status or pending applications.\n\nLast month Sarafinah Bukirwa, one of McGarvey\u2019s constituents with a valid visa and active asylum application, was detained by ICE at Louisville\u2019s Muhammad Ali International Airport.\n\n\u201cUSCIS\u2019s failure to adjudicate such applications in a timely manner is now being weaponized by ICE, which, in collaboration with the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), is arresting individuals as they attempt to fly domestically,\u201d the Members wrote.\n\nMcGarvey and Jayapal argued eliminating these interviews \u2013 a standard practice since 1990 \u2013 will deny those arrested under the new DHS rule from receiving full and fair consideration of their case, especially for asylum seekers who\u2019ve faced persecution and violence and for survivors of gender-based violence.\n\nThe Members also rejected the administration\u2019s claim that the rule would help address the asylum backlog, arguing it simply moves cases a USCIS officer could have decided into immigration courts, which already have 2.3 million pending asylum cases and keeps asylum seekers waiting in ICE detention even longer.\n\nInstead, they called for increasing the number of asylum officers and resources for USCIS to process applications faster.\n\n\u201cGiven the fact that Congress has given the administration $240 billion for immigration enforcement, moves like this call into question the Department\u2019s ability to deploy those additional resources responsibly,\u201d the Members continued.\n\nRead the full letter here.\n\n###", 1, "2026-08-15T05:23:20Z", "2026-08-15T05:24:50Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://mcgarvey.house.gov/media/press-releases/reps-mcgarvey-jayapal-demand-trump-administration-reverse-rule-to-fast-track-ice-detention-and-deportation-proceedings-for-asylum-seekers"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.4153160154819489, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}