Washington, D.C. – Last week, the Biden administration announced that beginning November, they’ll resume the implementation of Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP) also known as “Remain In Mexico,” a Trump-era policy forcing asylum-seekers to stay in Mexico waiting for their asylum cases to be processed. A policy he denounced while running for president.
Since Biden took office, there have been over 6,300 documented violent attacks on those forced to wait in Mexico. This weekend, asylum advocates walked out of a meeting with high-level Biden officials in protest of the administration’s reinstatement of the “Remain in Mexico” policy.
Juliana Macedo do Nascimento, Senior Advocacy Manager of United We Dream, said:
“The decision by the Biden administration to reinstate the Trump-era policy forcing asylum seekers to remain in Mexico is inhumane and reprehensible. The “Remain in Mexico” policy has no basis in public health. It was originally concocted by known white supremacist Stephen Miller, and was a tactic used in conjunction with other Trump era policies to dismantle our asylum system. Under this policy, there are over 1500 publicly reported cases of immigrants put in danger.
From the beginning, the Migrant Protection Program or “Remain in Mexico” has been an excuse to make it harder for people to seek asylum and keep immigrants out of the country. In their decision to reimplement it, now Biden has taken full responsibility for it. In President Biden’s own words while on the campaign trail, The “Remain in Mexico” policy is “dangerous” and inhumane,” and fails to protect the right of people to seek asylum. Instead of hiding behind a court order to reinstate the program the Biden administration must work quickly and diligently to issue a second memo to terminate the program for good.”
