USCIRF Releases Updated Recommendations on Asylum Seekers in Expedited Removal

Washington, DC – The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) released the following report:

Barriers to Protection as of 2024: Updated Recommendations on Asylum Seekers in Expedited Removal – Expedited removal is a process to screen and swiftly remove certain noncitizens at U.S. ports of entry or at or near the U.S. border, with safeguards to protect bona fide asylum seekers. The report highlights persistent flaws in the U.S. government’s treatment of asylum seekers in expedited removal, which place vulnerable people at risk of being repatriated to countries where they could face persecution, torture, or death.

Like USCIRF’s prior recommendations in this area, the updated recommendations included in the report seek to further Congress’ intent that expedited removal both protect U.S. borders and ensure the fair and humane treatment of bona fide asylum seekers. USCIRF is troubled that many problems it has repeatedly documented since 2005—including flawed screening and documentation practices, a lack of training and quality control, inadequate information for noncitizens in the process, inappropriate detention conditions, and insufficient coordination and oversight—remain unaddressed 20 years later. This raises serious concerns that the United States is returning asylum seekers at risk of persecution or torture, in violation of domestic and international law.

The International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 (IRFA) authorized USCIRF to conduct a study to assess whether immigration officials were implementing expedited removal consistent with U.S. obligations to protect noncitizens fleeing persecution or torture. USCIRF released that study in 2005, finding serious flaws in the processing and detention of asylum seekers and making recommendations to address them. Since then, USCIRF has periodically reviewed the status of those recommendations, issuing a 2007 report card, a 2013 assessment of detention reforms, and a 2016 report. By 2023, the implementation of expedited removal had changed considerably, leading USCIRF to commission this report. The research was conducted in late 2023 and 2024 and looked at policies and practices in effect at that time.

While the specific policies discussed in the report are Biden administration policies, the first Trump administration used a fast-tracked process similar to the one in place in 2024 and implemented expedited removal to its fullest legal extent. Given that the second Trump administration is also expected to significantly expand and vigorously implement expedited removal, USCIRF’s recommendations to better protect asylum seekers in that process while securing U.S. borders remain relevant.

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The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) is an independent, bipartisan federal government entity established by the U.S. Congress to monitor, analyze, and report on religious freedom abroad. USCIRF makes foreign policy recommendations to the President, the Secretary of State, and Congress intended to deter religious persecution and promote freedom of religion and belief. To interview a commissioner, please contact USCIRF at [email protected].

USCIRF Welcomes the Release of Two Religious Prisoners in Saudi Arabia

Washington, DC – The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) welcomes news of the release from prison of Salma al-Shehab and Assad al-Ghamdi. While in prison, both detainees were reportedly subjected to medical neglect, solitary confinement, and verbal abuse. Al-Shehab was arrested in 2021 for social media activity criticizing the Saudi government’s male guardianship system that imposes particular religious views. In 2024, authorities sentenced al-Ghamdi to 20 years in prison for “insulting religion” under the country’s counterterror law for social media posts.

“No person should be imprisoned for criticizing a government’s mandated interpretation of religion,” said USCIRF Chair Stephen Schneck. “Both releases signal the Saudi government’s recent gradual improvement of religious freedom conditions, but severe and systematic restrictions remain.”

“While we welcome news of their release, many other religious prisoners remain unjustly detained,” said USCIRF Commissioner Maureen Ferguson. “The U.S. government should press Saudi officials for the release of Mohammed al-Ghamdi, Nourah al-Qahtani and Manahel al-Otaibi, as well as call for Loujain al-Hathloul's, expired travel ban to be fully lifted.”

In its 2024 Annual Report, USCIRF recommended that the U.S. State Department designate Saudi Arabia as a “Country of Particular Concern,” for engaging in systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom. USCIRF’s 2024 Country Update on Saudi Arabia evaluates the male guardianship system’s religious restrictions on women and girls.

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The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) is an independent, bipartisan federal government entity established by the U.S. Congress to monitor, analyze, and report on religious freedom abroad. USCIRF makes foreign policy recommendations to the President, the Secretary of State, and Congress intended to deter religious persecution and promote freedom of religion and belief. To interview a Commissioner, please contact USCIRF at [email protected]