The State Department ordered consular officers to ask every applicant for a visitor, student, or temporary-work visa two new questions: 1) "Have you experienced harm or mistreatment in your country of nationality or last habitual residence?" and 2) "Do you fear harm or mistreatment in returning there?" Applicants who answer "yes" to either must be denied a visa on the spot. The directive-- signed by USSECSTATE Marco Rubio and rooted in a 2025 Donald Trump executive order-- seeks to choke off what the administration calls "asylum abuse" at the front end of the mobility pipeline.

Appeals Court Rules Refugees May Seek Asylum at US Borders