A Georgian man with an apparent violent criminal past and ties to the Soviet KGB was arrested in New York City last week as the Trump administration moves to overhaul the U.S. asylum system.

U.S. Border Patrol Chief Michael Banks revealed the arrest in a June 26 post on X, writing that the individual—whose name was not released—was “a serious public safety threat.” Banks said the man arrived in 2023 after claiming “credible fear,” but “it’s more like he was running from his shady past.”

According to Banks, the man had an extensive rap sheet before and after entering the United States. In his home country, he allegedly led a criminal organization and served nine years of a 25-year sentence for human smuggling across the Greek-Turkish border. He also “admitted to working with the Russian KGB,” Banks wrote.

Once in the U.S., the man was arrested in February 2024 for petty theft and possession of stolen goods. He was recently apprehended in New York City and is now in ICE custody, pending removal.

The incident comes just as new policy plans have reportedly emerged in the Trump Administration to curtail asylum protections and expedite removals dramatically.

President Donald Trump’s administration is preparing to dismiss asylum claims for potentially hundreds of thousands of migrants who entered the country unlawfully, and many of these individuals are now expected to be placed on a fast track to deportation, according to CNN.

“The Trump administration is planning to dismiss asylum claims for potentially hundreds of thousands of migrants in the United States and then make them immediately deportable,” the CNN exclusive reported.

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There are roughly 1.45 million pending affirmative asylum applications, and federal data shows that at least 25% of applicants self-reported that they entered the U.S. illegally. That amounts to at least 250,000 individuals who could be affected by the new rules.

The Department of Homeland Security has reportedly granted U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)—normally a benefits-processing agency—new enforcement powers, including the ability to initiate expedited removal proceedings.

“President Trump and Secretary Noem have given USCIS the ability to use all tools in our toolbox to ensure that the integrity of the immigration system is upheld,” USCIS spokesperson Matthew Tragesser told CNN.

The change marks a significant shift in immigration protocol. Traditionally, enforcement and deportation were handled by ICE and CBP, while USCIS was seen as an agency that administered legal immigration benefits, including asylum.

Some migrants have already received notices of dismissal, CNN reported, often without the opportunity for a hearing. Critics say the effort blurs legal lines and strips asylum seekers of due process.

Ann Coulter, a longtime Trump ally and outspoken commentator, has supported a crackdown on asylum claims, posting on X: “Not one illegal’s asylum claim is legit,” alongside an interview with Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach.

Kobach argued that asylum was designed for political dissidents and individuals fleeing persecution, rather than for economic migrants or those escaping poorly governed countries.

 

Coulter, who has a law degree, also argued that asylum seekers should not be able to claim “persecution” if the persecution they are suffering is prosecution for legitimate crimes such as robbery.

Kobach also contended that, under international law, asylum seekers are supposed to seek refuge in the nearest safe country and are not supposed to cross several countries to reach the United States.

Some academics argue that the solution is not to cut asylum claims but to overhaul the asylum system.

The Baker Institute for Public Policy at Rice University published a policy brief last October that urged policymakers to “uphold and modernize” the asylum system rather than dismantle it.

Kelsey Norman, the brief’s author, argued that “To prevent individuals from turning to the asylum system as a means of entry to the U.S. when they are unlikely to have a successful claim, Congress can create additional regular opportunities, such as family reunification or education and work visas.”

Norman felt that this would discourage aliens from seeking help from the smugglers to enter the country when they believed their asylum claims would be unsuccessful.

“Asylum is a mainstay of our federal immigration system,” the Baker brief reads. “Under international and domestic law, an individual who faces persecution in their home country can cross into the territory of the United States and ask for protection.”

The think tank brief noted that enforcement spending has vastly outpaced resources for immigration courts. Between 2003 and 2024, Congress spent $24 on immigration enforcement for every $1 allocated to the Executive Office for Immigration Review, which handles asylum cases.

The Baker Institute recommended expanding legal pathways for migration, increasing funding for immigration courts, and affirming an apparent historical and legal right to seek asylum—a right enshrined in U.S. law after the Holocaust.

Michael Knowles, vice president of the USCIS employees’ union, also criticized the plan in a statement to CNN: “Our union opposes any policy that violates basic rights guaranteed to asylum seekers by US and International law… whether or not they arrived at a designated port of entry.”