Washington DC - The Trump administration instituted a rule change on Tuesday that could fast-track the deportation of hundreds of thousands of asylum seekers.

The Department of Homeland Security said the move is intended to help reduce the backlog of pending asylum cases in the system.

Under the new rule, some asylum applications will be referred directly to Justice Department immigration judges without a prior interview by an asylum officer with US Citizenship and Immigration Services.

The current system "essentially allows an alien to get a second chance at asylum," DHS said. "This rule will shorten the total time that it takes asylum officers and Immigration Judges to adjudicate asylum applications."

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Up to 444,724, or 31%, of the 1.43 million asylum backlog cases may be impacted, it said.

"For far too long the asylum system has been exploited for purposes of delay and work authorization, not legitimate claims of protection," USCIS director Joseph Edlow said in a statement.

"America's asylum system exists to protect individuals who genuinely fear persecution," Edlow said. "This rule will help ensure that resources are directed to the timely adjudication of those claims instead of to those seeking to use the system as a loophole."

DHS general counsel James Percival said the new rule will "improve efficiency and fulfill" Republican President Donald Trump's pledge to crack down on illegal immigration.

Trump campaigned for the White House on a promise to expel millions of undocumented migrants and has taken a number of aggressive actions since returning to the White House aimed at speeding up deportations and reducing border crossings.