Muristek
COURTESY PHOTOAlejandro Mayorkas
By RICHIE MALOUFTHE CENTER SQUARE
(The Center Square) — The U.S. Department of Homeland Security said this week that it is ending the Migrant Protection Protocols, a Trump-era policy requiring those seeking asylum in the U.S. to remain in Mexico until their appointed court date.
The decision comes after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in June that the Biden administration could end the “Remain in Mexico” Policy.
“We welcome the U.S. District Court’s decision, which follows the U.S. Supreme Court’s June 30th decision, to lift the injunction that required DHS to reimplement the Migrant Protection Protocols in good faith,” the DHS said Monday. “DHS is committed to ending the court-ordered implementation of MPP in a quick, and orderly, manner.”
With the policy effectively ended, the DHS will no longer enroll individuals into MPP, and anyone currently in Mexico will be unenrolled at their appointed court date.
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas has been critical of the policy in the past.
“MPP had endemic flaws, imposed unjustifiable human costs, pulled resources and personnel away from other priority efforts, and did not address the root causes of irregular migration,” Mr. Mayorkas said. “MPP not only undercuts the administration’s ability to implement critically needed and foundational changes to the immigration system, it fails to provide the fair process and humanitarian protections that individuals deserve under the law.”
Republicans, such as U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., disagreed with Mr. Mayorkas, saying that ending the policy will lead to increased illegal immigration to the United States.
“This will only incentivize more illegal immigration and make the #BidenBorderCrisis worse,” Rpe. Stefanik said on Twitter.
U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, added that the policy helped strengthen the border, and rescinding it will exacerbate the ongoing crises.
“President Biden is enabling the narco slave trade,” Sen. Cruz said. “Remain in Mexico helped secure our border.”
The DHS said it will provide additional information in the coming days and that individuals currently enrolled in MPP should follow instructions for their appointed court date.
As more migrants arrive at the United States border, states are deciding to take matters into their own hands, with Texas Gov. Greg Abbott busing migrants from Texas to Washington, D.C., and New York City.
“The federal government’s refusal to address the border crisis is what’s truly ‘horrific,’” Gov. Abbott said .“Texas will send buses to Washington, D.C., (and) New York City until Biden does his constitutional duty (and) secures our border.”
The post DHS says it will end ‘Remain in Mexico’ policy appeared first on Santa Barbara News-Press.