BIA OKS QUICK DISMISSALS: IJs CAN PRETERMIT DEFICIENT ASYLUM CLAIMS, SPEEDING REMOVALS

The Board of Immigration Appeals’ precedential decision in Matter of H-A-A-V- authorizes immigration judges to pretermit incomplete or legally insufficient asylum and withholding applications without full merits hearings when no material facts are in dispute. The ruling narrows earlier precedent, aligns EOIR practice with summary-judgment-like procedures, and follows an April 11 EOIR memo signaling pretermission of deficient claims. Expect faster case dispositions and backlog relief, with immediate implications for counsel strategy and potential legal challenges.