Leer en Español
On Monday, a federal judge in Texas overturned his order to reinstate the “Remain in Mexico” program, allowing the Biden administration to end the policy, which forced asylum seekers to wait outside the U.S. for their cases to be processed.
Federal Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk in Texas overturned his ruling in response to a request from the DOJ. The request was based on the ruling issued last June by the Supreme Court, which decided that the Biden administration could end the policy put in place in 2019 by his predecessor Donald Trump.
The Democrat administration eliminated in February 2021 the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP) program, also known as “Remain in Mexico,” implemented by Trump (2017-2021). Still, in response to a lawsuit led by the state of Texas, the courts were forced to reinstate the measure last December.
The top court’s ruling sent the legal action back to the lower courts to consider the latest memorandum issued last October by Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. Mayorkas argued that there were flaws in the process and a lack of humanitarian protections that individuals deserve under the law.
In a statement Monday, the DHS welcomed the judge’s decision and said it is committed to ending the implementation of MPP in a swift and orderly manner.
More than 60,000 asylum seekers, most of whom were stranded in camps along the Mexican border, were part of the first part of the program.
According to recent figures, about 5,800 immigrants have been processed through the second phase of the MPP set since last December. Most are from Nicaragua, Cuba, and Venezuela, countries under socialist and dictatorial regimes.
