© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: A section of the border wall between Mexico and the United States is seen, as taken from Tijuana, Mexico August 1, 2022. REUTERS/Jorge Duenes/File Photo
By Kylie Madry
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – The Mexican government said on Monday that it opposes a possible restart of a U.S. immigration policy known as “Stay in Mexico,” which requires asylum seekers to wait for hearings. US hearings in Mexico.
President Joe Biden sought to end the program launched by the Trump administration and is currently suspended.
But US states like Texas and Missouri filed lawsuits to keep the program running, and in December a US judge halted Biden’s efforts, saying the Department of Homeland Security failed to explain satisfactory reasons why this policy is ineffective and should be rescinded.
The Mexican Foreign Ministry did not give a reason for the objection. Activists argue that the policy, officially known as the Migrant Protection Protocol (MPP), exposes migrants to dangerous border cities, where they face threats kidnapped and blackmailed.
If the Mexican government persists, US officials will likely have to consider whether asylum seekers can stay in the United States while their claims are evaluated or make other arrangements to get them out of the country.
About 74,000 migrants passed through Mexico under the program when former President Donald Trump took office, the State Department said. Under Biden, that number was just 7,500.
Marsha Espinosa, a spokeswoman for the US Department of Homeland Security, said in a statement to Reuters on Monday that the Biden Administration will continue to try to end the MPP through the courts.
“Our ability to carry out the MPP under the court order has always depended on whether the Mexican government is willing to accept returns under the MPP,” added Espinosa.
The Biden administration has been looking for alternatives to reduce the flow of migrants to the US southern border, including a program that allows some Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans to enter through a system. appoint.
The program has had some success, according to US officials, as the number of migrants caught crossing the border plummeted between December and January.
Human rights organizations have pushed for other nationalities to be included.
