Joe Biden Ends the Trump Administration’s Successful “Remain in Mexico” Policy
On June 1, 2021, the Biden administration formally reversed the previous Trump administration’s “Remain in Mexico” policy, which represents some of the pro-open border moves that Biden has pursued in recent months.
The Biden administration wants to present a marked contrast from the previous administration’s immigration policy, which was much more nationalist and focused on serving American national interests.
The “Remain in Mexico” policy was formally known as the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP) and was a cornerstone of former President Donald Trump’s efforts to curb migration from Mexico and Central America. Under the MPP, asylum seekers were forced to stay in Mexico as they waited for U.S. immigration courts to sort out their asylum cases.
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas released a memo on June 1, 2021 that ended the program. In the memo, Mayorkas argued that Trump’s Remain in Mexico policy was not effective in securing the border
Not too long after being installed in office on January 20, Biden paused the Remain in Mexico policy. According to a report by Reuters, the Biden administration allowed 11,000 people who were in this program to enter the country.
Mississippi congressman Bennie Thompson and California congresswoman Nanette Diaz Barragán issued a statement congratulating this change in policy on June 1.
"This policy was a stain on our nation’s history and our longstanding tradition of protecting refugees and asylum seekers," Barragán and Thompson wrote in their statement.
“Despite Republican efforts to misrepresent U.S. asylum law and smear those fleeing violence and seeking asylum, we must remember that it is completely legal to come to the U.S. border and seek asylum. While the process has been underway to dismantle MPP and bring asylum seekers in the country, more still needs to be done to help those hurt by the policy and we look forward to working with the Administration on those efforts. We must ensure we have a just and humane asylum processing system,” they continued.
Groups like the American Civil Liberties Union praised the Biden administration’s decision to reverse Trump’s Remain in Mexico policy.
“This is a huge victory. The forced return policy was cruel, depraved, and illegal, and we are glad that it has finally been rescinded," declared Judy Rabinovitz, an ACLU attorney who helped spearhead the organization's legal challenge against the Remain in Mexico policy.
Under Trump’s Remain in Mexico policy, cross-border flows went from 140,000 in May 2019 to 17,000 in April 2020, which annoyed many pro-mass migration leftists. However, these successes will now be scrapped under Biden’s watch.
Republicans should take note of this change, and the immigration rush that will inevitably follow. This can be turned into a political weapon during the 2022 elections and beyond. Americans desire sane immigration policies and they must be reminded of former President Trump’s successful policies that Biden and co are scrapping.