(Photo : Reuters)

"Remain in Mexico" program was supposed to take place on April 22, but the Justice Department decided to delay the court hearings as the world faces the coronavirus pandemic. The Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) guarantees the public that their decision will continue to ensure asylum seekers will have their day in court while protecting public health. 

Such a decision will temporarily paralyze the administration's strong asylum policies which intimidates immigrants to seek shelter in the US southern border. The Migrant Protection Protocol or MPP has allowed border officials to return 60,000 Latin American migrants back to Mexico while they wait for the court hearing of their asylum cases. 

The Justice Department requested the asylum seekers to report to a US border official on their initial court schedule to get new documents and a new court hearing date. 

Trump Administration Issued Immigration Restriction

Before this decision was made, the Trump administration had called upon sweeping immigration restriction powers in public health law. This move allowed border officials to immediately return migrants back to Mexico and Canada especially those without proper documents. According to the current administration, the restriction is necessary to reduce the spread of the coronavirus.

Officials have not made any clear statement if the asylum seekers under MPP are allowed inside the United States yet immigrant attorneys report that migrants were not allowed to enter the border on Monday. The CBP or Custom and Border Protection officials have yet to announce if they will continue to return migrants to Mexico as part of MPP. 

The Justice Department has cancelled all court hearings for immigrants due to the pandemic. The department continues to face withering criticism for not closing hearings for immigrants that are detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) despite the requests of prosecutors, lawyers and judges. 

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Virus Can Easily Spread in the Camps

Richard Newman, immigration attorney of San Antonio Region Justice For Our Neighbors, agrees with the recent policy of the Trump's administration. He said that he himself refuses to go to court hearings or visit his clients in Mexico due to his fear of community transmission of the coronavirus. 

Newman expresses his concern towards the COVID-19 pandemic saying that if one of the lawyers has the virus and walks and talks with a client, it is highly possible for the virus to spread in the refugee camp. "I'm thankful the EIOR made the decision to delay the court hearings so it does not make us, immigration lawyers, look bad," he added. 

The US border officials are using the order coming from the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention where it says an outbreak of the virus in refugee camps and immigration shelters is inevitable. 

Newman noted that the asylum seekers understand the policy behind the temporary suspension of their court hearings, but they are disheartened knowing they will not be able to face a judge any time soon. While waiting for their court hearings, asylum seekers live in shabby conditions inside the shelters and camp.