The Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP) policy, otherwise known as “Remain in Mexico,” will take effect next week after being suspended by President Joe Biden on his first day in office. Around 70,000 asylum seekers coming from Mexico have been subjected to the policy, which was introduced in 2019.
Biden’s reversal on the policy’s suspension comes after a lawsuit was filed by Texas and Missouri urging him to reinstate it. A court order to implement it was subsequently filed. According to The Texas Tribune, the suit claimed that human trafficking would increase without the policy in place.
Authorities are still trying to overturn the policy. In a statement to Newsweek, the Department of Homeland Security said Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas “has repeatedly stated that MPP has endemic flaws, imposed unjustifiable human costs, pulled resources and personnel away from other priority efforts, and failed to address the root causes of irregular migration.”
However, agencies are still preparing to reenact the policy “once the Government of Mexico makes a final and independent decision to accept the return of individuals enrolled in the program, subject to certain humanitarian improvements,” the statement said.
Migrants in detention will be returned to Mexico starting Monday. All migrants subject to the policy will be vaccinated against COVID-19 before being deported. The U.S. is expected to complete migrant cases within 180 days, with 22 immigration judges assigned to work solely on them by the Justice Department, the AP said.
Other changes to the policy include asking migrants if they fear deportation to Mexico, safer transportation to court, the ability to meet with attorneys before each hearing and the exemption of select “vulnerable” migrants. Vulnerable populations include unaccompanied children, Indigenous people and those who are physically or mentally ill.
For more reporting from The Associated Press, see below.
Illegal border crossings fell sharply after Mexico, facing Trump’s threat of higher tariffs, acquiesced in 2019 to the policy’s rapid expansion. Asylum seekers were victims of major violence while waiting in Mexico and faced a slew of legal obstacles, such as access to attorneys and case information.
Thursday’s announcement follows intense bilateral negotiations between the U.S. and Mexico after U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk, a Trump appointee in Amarillo, Texas, ordered the policy be reinstated, subject to Mexico’s participation.
