US plans to reinstate 'Remain in Mexico' policy next month

SAN DIEGO – The Biden medication said it plans to reinstate a Trump-era borderline argumentation adjacent period to marque asylum-seekers hold successful Mexico for hearings successful U.S. migration court, complying with a judge's order.

It hinges connected support of the Mexican government, which has raised concerns that U.S. officials are moving to address, the Justice Department said successful a tribunal filing precocious Thursday. Mexico wants cases to mostly reason wrong six months and guarantee that asylum-seekers person timely and close accusation astir proceeding dates and times and amended entree to ineligible counsel.

Mexico besides wants exemptions for “particularly susceptible populations” and amended coordination connected locations and times of time that asylum-seekers are returned to Mexico.

About 70,000 asylum-seekers person been taxable to the “Remain successful Mexico” policy, known officially arsenic “Migrant Protection Protocols,” which President Donald Trump introduced successful January 2019 and Biden suspended connected his archetypal time successful office. A national justice sided with the states of Texas and Missouri by ordering the Biden medication successful August to reinstate the argumentation “in bully faith.” The tribunal filing says it should beryllium successful effect astir mid-November.

Ad

U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk successful Amarillo, Texas, a Trump appointee, near unfastened the anticipation that the medication could effort again to extremity the policy, and officials accidental they volition merchandise a program soon that they anticipation volition past ineligible scrutiny.

U.S. Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas ended the policy successful June aft an interior review, saying it achieved “mixed effectiveness.”

Illegal borderline crossings fell sharply aft Mexico, facing Trump's menace of higher tariffs, acquiesced successful 2019 to the policy's accelerated expansion. Asylum-seekers were victims of major unit portion waiting successful Mexico and faced a slew of legal obstacles, specified arsenic entree to attorneys and lawsuit information.

Ad

The medication volition rebuild structure courts successful Texas borderline cities of Laredo and Brownsville astatine a monthly outgo of $24.6 cardinal to operate, according to the tribunal filing, and is moving to guarantee determination is capableness successful a strategy that is backlogged with 1.4 cardinal cases.

Mexico’s Foreign Relations Department said Thursday that it has concerns astir asylum-seekers getting just attraction successful tribunal nether the policy, having entree to ineligible counsel and being safe.

Mexico said it besides has raised questions astir different U.S. argumentation to expel migrants without a accidental to question asylum. Trump invoked those powers, known arsenic Title 42 authority, successful March 2020 connected grounds of preventing dispersed of the coronavirus. The Biden medication has powerfully defended the peculiar powers.

“Mexico volition proceed treatment with the U.S. enforcement branch, with the purpose of achieving a determination migration argumentation that is safe, orderly and regulated,” the Foreign Relations Department said.

Ad

U.S. officials accidental the renewed “Remain successful Mexico” argumentation volition beryllium applied to radical who don't suffice for Title 42 authority. The argumentation was past utilized mostly connected radical from Spanish-speaking countries but officials accidental eligible nationalities person not been determined.

Broad outlines of the reinstated argumentation travel arsenic the Biden medication has yet to make the “humane” asylum strategy that the president promised during his run aft rapidly dismantling galore Trump policies. Illegal borderline crossings person soared nether Biden's watch, with grounds numbers of unaccompanied children and, successful September, the accomplishment of astir 15,000 mostly Haitian migrants astatine a campy successful Del Rio, Texas.

Homeland Security said successful a connection that it “remains committed to gathering a safe, orderly, and humane migration strategy that upholds our laws and values.”

___

Associated Press writer Mark Stevenson successful Mexico City contributed.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This worldly whitethorn not beryllium published, broadcast, rewritten oregon redistributed without permission.