Beautiful Virgin Islands

Tuesday, Oct 07, 2025

Biden administration tries again to end Trump-era 'Remain in Mexico' migrant policy

Biden administration tries again to end Trump-era 'Remain in Mexico' migrant policy

The Biden administration is trying for a second time to end the controversial Trump-era "Remain in Mexico" policy after it was thwarted earlier this year by a federal judge.
The policy forced non-Mexican migrants to stay in Mexico until their immigration court date in the US. It was suspended at the beginning of President Joe Biden's term and formally terminated months later. But in August, a federal judge in Texas said that the Biden administration had violated federal law in how it went about unwinding the program and required it be restored.

Friday, the Department of Homeland Security will release a new memo justifying its desire to end the policy, formally known as the Migrant Protection Protocols, DHS officials say.

Under President Donald Trump, migrants from Central America and other parts of the world who were seeking asylum at the US-Mexico border were forced to stay in Mexico until their immigration court hearings in the US, often in dangerous cities. It marked an unprecedented departure from previous protocols, which had allowed for the entry of migrants as they went through their immigration hearings in the United States.

An estimated 68,000 migrants were returned to Mexico under the policy, according to the Department of Homeland Security. For those subject to the policy, that meant waiting months, if not years, in squalid conditions and under the threat of extortion, sexual assault and kidnapping.

"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," Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said in a statement.

The Biden administration has faced fierce criticism from allies for keeping some of Trump's immigration limits in effect. After additional review of the Remain in Mexico policy, DHS found that while it may have led to a reduction in border crossings, the humanitarian costs justify its termination.

"It delves much deeper into the decision-making and the reasoning behind the decision," a Homeland Security official told reporters, referring to the new memo. "It squarely addresses some of the alleged failures of the prior memo, as well -- addressing the alleged costs to states and alleged concerns about the implications of terminating [Migrant Protection Protocols]."

The new memo cannot take effect until the court order has been lifted.

The future of the program has been a point of discussion between the US and Mexico, according to officials, specifically ensuring that cases are heard in a timely manner, that migrants have access to counsel, and establishing criteria for those who aren't subject to the policy.

DHS previously said it's updating policies and procedures to account for Covid-19 and preparing contracts to rebuild the soft-sided immigration hearing facilities that came under intense scrutiny during the Trump administration. According to another Homeland Security official, the administration is considering vaccinating and testing migrants subject to the program for Covid-19, as well as assessing whether there are shelters people can safely stay in until their court date.

The administration also sent out notices to legal service providers to be included on a pro bono list to be distributed to migrants enrolled in the "remain in Mexico" program, according to an email obtained by CNN.

But immigrant advocates and attorneys say they're not interested in associating themselves with a policy they condemned under the Trump administration. Elissa Steglich, who co-directs and teaches the Immigration Clinic at the University of Texas at Austin, cited the challenges in representing migrants waiting in Mexico and the slew of due process and security concerns.

"We cannot support participating in a list that makes it appear that the program promises access to counsel," Steglich said.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
A Dollar Coin Featuring Trump’s Portrait Expected to Be Issued Next Year
Australia Orders X to Block Murder Videos, Citing Online Safety and Public Exposure
Three Scientists Awarded Nobel Prize in Medicine for Discovery of Immune Self-Tolerance Mechanism
OpenAI and AMD Forge Landmark AI-Chip Alliance with Equity Option
Munich Airport Reopens After Second Drone Shutdown
France Names New Government Amid Political Crisis
Trump Stands Firm in Shutdown Showdown and Declares War on Drug Cartels — Turning Crisis into Opportunity
Surge of U.S. Billionaires Transforms London’s Peninsula Apartments into Ultra-Luxury Stronghold
Pro Europe and Anti-War Babiš Poised to Return to Power After Czech Parliamentary Vote
Jeff Bezos Calls AI Surge a ‘Good’ Bubble, Urges Focus on Lasting Innovation
Japan’s Ruling Party Chooses Sanae Takaichi, Clearing Path to First Female Prime Minister
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Sentenced to Fifty Months in Prison Following Prostitution Conviction
Taylor Swift’s ‘Showgirl’ Launch Extends Billion-Dollar Empire
Trump Administration Launches “TrumpRx” Plan to Enable Direct Drug Sales at Deep Discounts
Trump Announces Intention to Impose 100 Percent Tariff on Foreign-Made Films
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Singapore and Hong Kong Vie to Dominate Asia’s Rising Gold Trade
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Manhattan Sees Surge in Office-to-Housing Conversions, Highest Since 2008
Switzerland and U.S. Issue Joint Assurance Against Currency Manipulation
Electronic Arts to Be Taken Private in Historic $55 Billion Buyout
Thomas Jacob Sanford Named as Suspect in Deadly Michigan Church Shooting and Arson
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
New York Man Arrested After On-Air Confession to 2017 Parents’ Murders
U.S. Defense Chief Orders Sudden Summit of Hundreds of Generals and Admirals
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
Trump Claims FBI Planted 274 Agents at Capitol Riot, Citing Unverified Reports
India: Internet Suspended in Bareilly Amid Communal Clashes Between Muslims and Hindus
Supreme Court Extends Freeze on Nearly $5 Billion in U.S. Foreign Aid at Trump’s Request
Archaeologists Recover Statues and Temples from 2,000-Year-Old Sunken City off Alexandria
China Deploys 2,000 Workers to Spain to Build Major EV Battery Factory, Raising European Dependence
Speed Takes Over: How Drive-Through Coffee Chains Are Rewriting U.S. Coffee Culture
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Ringo Starr Champions Enduring Beatles Legacy While Debuting Las Vegas Art Show
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
FBI Removes Agents Who Kneeled at 2020 Protest, Citing Breach of Professional Conduct
Trump Alleges ‘Triple Sabotage’ at United Nations After Escalator and Teleprompter Failures
Shock in France: 5 Years in Prison for Former President Nicolas Sarkozy
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
BNP Paribas Abandons Ban on 'Controversial Weapons' Financing Amid Europe’s Defence Push
Typhoon Ragasa Leaves Trail of Destruction Across East Asia Before Making Landfall in China
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Big Banks Rebuild in Hong Kong as Deal Volume Surges
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Arnault Denounces Proposed Wealth Tax as Threat to French Economy
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Denmark Investigates Drone Incursion, Does Not Rule Out Russian Involvement
×