‘Remain in Mexico’ is over but the migration crisis continues

By Guadalupe Penuelas

Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, Dec 2 (EFE).- A year after the “Remain in Mexico” program was restarted by US President Joe Biden’s administration, the migration crisis continues at the northern border of the Latin American country despite the program ending.

In December 2021, the Biden administration said it was compelled to relaunch the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP) or “Remain in Mexico” program due to a federal court order but would do so with “improvements.”

These included a promise to resolve most asylum cases within six months, ensure that asylum-seekers have access to counsel, and ensure that “particularly vulnerable individuals” persons are not enrolled in the program.

However, these points have not been met.

As a result, migrants of different nationalities continue to arrive at the northern border of Mexico in order to cross into the United States.

Some have also been deported while seeking to fulfill their American dream.

The executive director and founder of Border Network for Human Rights, Fernando García, told EFE that although Biden has ended the Remain in Mexico policy, “there are laws such as Title 42, which do not allow migrants to request asylum in the US.”

“With this program and the MPP, the migrants’ right to legal process is violated,” he added.

He said that although the country and Congress were divided on the subject of immigration, it was important to remember that the US was a nation of migrants and anyone seeking asylum must be protected.

Juan Fierro, the director of the “El Buen Samaritano” shelter, located in Chihuahua state’s Ciudad Juárez, pointed out that the migratory situation was unchanged.

“There was only one downturn due to the pandemic and during this time there is always an increase in the flow of migrants in this city. The last time the MPP program was implemented, it was different, because in most cases they no longer separated families, rather those waiting here were men who were alone,” he said.

One of the migrants at the shelter, José Alejandro García, who is originally from the Mexican state of Guanajuato, told EFE that he continues to hope to cross into the United States.

He said that he left his place of origin due to violence and hopes that his immigration status will be fixed.

The program, launched by Donald Trump and restarted by Biden after an order by the US Supreme Court, forced asylum seekers from the United States to wait in Mexico while their cases were pending.

However, on Aug. 8, the US Department of Homeland Security announced that it was preparing to end the program.

In July 2022, the International Rescue Committee (IRC) said that the policy had impacted more than 75,000 migrants at the Mexican border. EFE

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