USCIS opens new asylum office in San Antonio, Texas

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has expanded its asylum processing capabilities with the opening of a new Asylum Office in San Antonio, Texas, on May 28, 2026. This strategic move is designed to bolster the operational capacity of the Houston Asylum Office, which currently oversees Texas, Colorado, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Utah, and Wyoming.

The new San Antonio office is part of a broader strategy by USCIS to geographically distribute interview demand. This is particularly important given the significant portion of the national asylum backlog concentrated within this six-state jurisdiction. Asylum seekers within this area may now be directed to attend interviews in either Houston or San Antonio, based on the agency's scheduling decisions.

This expansion is crucial for managing the growing number of asylum applications and aims to streamline the affirmative asylum process. The agency's efforts to distribute workload are intended to address the backlog and improve efficiency in processing claims across a vast region.