President Biden’s administration formally overturned the immigration policy implemented by the Trump administration that forced asylum seekers to wait in Mexico while the U.S. Immigration Tribunal reviewed their case.
A seven-page announcement by National Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas marks the end of the “Migrant Protection Protocols” that have returned 70,000 asylum seekers to Mexico from January 2019 until he was suspended by President Biden on the first day he arrived. in duty.
This was an expected decision, as during the presidential campaign Mr. Biden had promised to stop this practice, although he had left an open opportunity to review it before the complete cancellation.
Mr Mayorkas said continuing or modifying this policy “would run counter to the administration’s vision and values and represent a misuse of the department’s resources”. He adds that the cost of this policy far outweighs the benefits.
The policy saw a significant drop in the number of asylum seekers, but critics noted that applicants failed to appear in court due to cost and barriers to travel, difficult conditions in Mexico and a lack of lawyers. . Mr. Mayorkas claimed that there had been a large number of denied applications as the persons had not appeared in court on the given day, citing problems with housing, funding and security in Mexico.
Republicans have criticized the administration’s decision, calling the situation on the southern American border “serious,” warning that Democrats will pay a political price.
