Human Rights First Urges Biden Administration to Re-terminate, Not Restart, Trump-Era “Remain in Mexico” Policy

NEW YORK — In response to reports that the Biden administration will relaunch the Remain in Mexico policy by mid-November if Mexico agrees, Human Rights First urges the administration to instead swiftly issue a memorandum terminating the cruel policy and end the Trump-era Title 42 policy that similarly endangers the lives of people seeking asylum.

“Restarting any version of the Trump administration’s notorious Remain in Mexico policy will lead to immense human suffering,” said Senior Director of Refugee Protection Eleanor Acer. “Trump 2.0 policies at the border are a recipe for continued cruelty, disorder, and violations of refugee law. The Biden administration must honor its promise to terminate this horrific program and also end its Title 42 policy, which likewise sends people seeking refuge to places where they are targets of kidnappings, attacks, and persecution.”

Remain in Mexico was originally created and implemented by the Trump Administration. In June 2021, the Biden Administration officially ended the policy. While Remain in Mexico – also known as the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP) – was in effect, Human Rights First tracked over 1,500 cases of reported kidnappings and attacks against migrants subjected to the policy, including violence targeting asylum seekers returned by the U.S. to Nuevo Laredo and other highly dangerous areas.

In the wake of the Supreme Court ruling upholding a U.S. district court decision calling for MPP to be reinstated, Human Rights First and other organizations wrote to President Biden urging his administration to issue a new memorandum ending MPP in line with the rulings. While the administration announced its intent to issue a new termination memorandum, over seven weeks after the Supreme Court ruling, that memorandum has still not been issued.