The Biden administration is trying once again to put an end to Trump’s Migrant Protection Protocols, specifically the “remain in Mexico” policy. The move to end the policy comes amidst a historic spike in border crossings, leaving border officials overwhelmed and understaffed.
Politico reports:
The Department of Homeland Security said on Wednesday evening that it planned to issue a new memorandum in the coming weeks terminating the policy, which requires many asylum seekers to stay in Mexico while they await hearings on their requests for safe haven in the U.S. The move comes after a U.S. District Court in Texas said the administration’s June 2021 memorandum ending Migrant Protection Protocols was against the law.
The Supreme Court struck another blow to the Biden administration in August when it rejected the Justice Department’s request for a stay that would have put the policy on hold while litigation over Biden’s efforts to rescind was resolved in the courts — a victory for states like Texas and Missouri, which sued over the administration’s repeal of the policy.
Homeland Security said on Wednesday that it had worked to restart MPP to comply with the court’s order and that its new memorandum aimed to “address the concerns raised by the courts with respect to the prior memorandum.”
“In the meantime, while the court injunction remains in effect, the Department has been working in good faith to re-start MPP in compliance with the order, and it will continue to do so,” DHS said in a statement. “To that end, the Department, working with the Department of State, is engaged in ongoing and high-level diplomatic discussions with Mexico.”
If Biden manages to repeal Title 42, known more commonly as the remain in Mexico policy, it is likely to spur another flood of migrants taking the policy change as a signal that the border is open.
According to reports by Newsmax, Homeland Security officials are concerned the change in policy could entice more than 400,000 migrants to rush the border.
DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas this week, while speaking with department officials, asked if the division is prepared to face a scenario that could result in 350,000 to 400,000 migrants crossing the border in October, two DHS officials familiar with the call told NBC News.
If that happens, it will be double the 21-year record broken in July when 210,000 migrants crossed the border and entered the United States.
DHS officials noted that those numbers were only approximations, however, they are confident that repealing Title 42 would lead to more migrants flooding the border.
