President Joe Biden has taken extensive steps to roll back as many of the Trump administration’s policies as possible through executive orders since taking office last month — particularly as it pertains to immigration law and enforcement.
As a recent example of the Biden administration’s opposition to Trump-era border policies, reports confirm that the Migration Protection Protocols plan, commonly known as the “Remain in Mexico” program, appears to be weakening already.
“Working closely with the Government of Mexico”
The MPP required asylum seekers arriving at the nation’s southern border to stay in Mexico until their cases had been adjudicated in the U.S.
Under the Biden administration, those undocumented migrants will be increasingly allowed to enter the U.S. as their cases moved through the immigration system, according to The Epoch Times.
Of course, this represents just one aspect of a much broader reversal of Trump’s immigration policies. Biden has already ordered a halt on border wall construction, called for a pathway to citizenship for many undocumented immigrants, reiterated his support of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, and even attempted to institute a 100-day pause on most deportations.
The latest move was announced in a statement released on Tuesday and is set to go into effect on Friday.
According to the White House, “the United States will begin to process eligible individuals in the Migration Protection Protocols (MPP) program to pursue their asylum cases in the US, working closely with the Government of Mexico, as well as international and non-governmental organizations.”
“Communicated that our borders are open”
In the meantime, the Biden administration instructed asylum-seekers to take no immediate action and await further details.
“Individuals should not approach the border until instructed to do so,” the White House warned, going on to clarify that “our borders are not open, and this is just the first phase in the administration’s work to reopen access to an orderly asylum process.”
Furthermore, the president noted that only those already enrolled in the MPP would be eligible for processing and that any illegible migrants attempting to cross the border “will be immediately expelled and will not be permitted to remain in the United States.”
Despite the caveats, Biden’s announcement drew immediate criticism and warnings from supporters of Trump’s policy. The president’s reversal also came about a week after a group of House Republicans wrote to him in an effort to refrain from any further moves that would exacerbate a growing immigration crisis along the U.S.-Mexico border.
A total of 51 GOP lawmakers signed the letter, which sharply criticized Biden’s early action on border issues, claiming that they “all communicated that our borders are open” and expressing concern that his administration “perceives our border security issues as a political game instead of the very serious threat open borders provide to Americans and the migrants seeking to come here.”
The post Biden announces repeal of Trump-era program requiring asylum-seekers to wait in Mexico first appeared on Conservative Institute.
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