By Purushottam Dhakal, LOS ANGELES:- The Trump administration has launched a nationwide campaign to dismiss the asylum claims of thousands of immigrants pending in immigration courts. The Trump administration has argued that these immigrants could be sent back to third countries rather than their own countries.

The effort has intensified in recent weeks, targeting immigrants in areas including Atlanta, New York, Miami, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Texas, immigration lawyers said. Immigration courts are administrative agencies under the Department of Justice, not part of the judiciary. Immigration and Customs Enforcement attorneys represent the government in this process.

Under the new strategy, ICE lawyers are asking judges to dismiss asylum cases without hearing them on the merits. They argue that those who fear persecution in their own countries could be sent to countries with which the Trump administration has agreements to accept deportees. Ice has asked judges to order the refugees to be sent to third countries such as Guatemala, Honduras, Ecuador and Uganda. If the request is approved, the migrants’ right to become refugees will automatically end.

By early December, ICE lawyers had filed motions to dismiss more than 8,000 cases, citing third-country agreements.  Homeland Security calls it an effort to prevent abuse of the immigration system and remove undocumented immigrants as quickly as possible.

The Trump administration’s move is based on the Safe Third Country Act, which immigration lawyers have strongly opposed. Immigration lawyers have strongly opposed it, saying the campaign has affected people who have faced real persecution from countries like Iran, Nicaragua and Russia.

According to legal experts, this strategy is an attempt to completely dismantle the US refugee system and force immigrants to withdraw their claims.  Some rights groups are preparing to challenge this strategy in court.