Posted on August 9, 2022

DHS to End ‘Remain in Mexico,’ Allow Asylum Seekers to Enter U.S.

Nick Miroff, Washington Post, August 8, 2022

The Department of Homeland Security said late Monday it is preparing to quickly end the Trump-era “Remain in Mexico” program and will no longer send asylum seekers back across the border to await a decision on their applications for U.S. protection.

The announcement came after U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk lifted his injunction blocking Biden officials from ending the program, formally known as the “Migrant Protection Protocols” or MPP.

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled June 30 that the Biden administration had the authority to terminate the program, opening a path for DHS to finally bring a close to one of the Trump administration’s most contentious border measures.

DHS officials said asylum seekers waiting in Mexico for their appointments in the U.S. immigration court would be allowed to cross the border on the day of their hearings and stay in the United States while awaiting an outcome.

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President Biden quickly ended the program after taking office, but Kacsmaryk last fall sided with several Republican-led state officials who sued the administration to force a restart of MPP. Between December 2021 and early July, about 5,800 asylum seekers were sent back to Mexico to await their U.S. court dates {snip}

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Asylum seekers with pending claims are typically allowed to live and work in the United States while awaiting a response. The process can drag out for several years {snip}

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