As of Tuesday, July 28, federal asylum officers no longer have to sit down with certain applicants before sending their cases to an immigration judge. DHS says interviews will still happen before any outright grant or denial, and in the narrower set of cases where a court settlement or statute demands one. DHS General Counsel James Percival separately argued that deliberate stalling by applicants and their lawyers has long undercut enforcement. Outlets tracking the rollout, including The American Bazaar, note that migrants without attorneys — a substantial share of asylum applicants — may be hit hardest by a compressed process that removes their one real conversation with a trained officer. That same period saw the department bring on well over 150 new judges, according to Courthouse News, even as approval rates for asylum claims in court have been sliding.