Joe Biden, Homeland Security Take Big Step to End Donald Trump’s Remain-in-Mexico Policy

Donald Trump's controversial "Remain in Mexico" policy is now dead after a judge lifted the order following a Supreme Court decision that the Biden administration had the power to end the said policy. After the judge lifted the order, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) quickly moved to announce it was officially over.

According to Fox News, the DHS released an official statement saying that it will end "in a quick and orderly manner." The department also said that it would process migrants already enrolled in the program and allow them to continue their asylum cases on U.S. soil. They also urged asylum seekers to rely on official information from the government and not believe human smugglers, who have been giving false information to migrants through word of mouth or social media.

The "Remain in Mexico" policy was a controversial policy that forced migrants seeking asylum to wait it out in Mexico as their cases played out. However, these migrants were forced into harsh, squalid, and unsafe conditions as they waited for the U.S. to hear their cases.

Biden Administration Waited for Judge to Lift the Order To Act

With the policy now officially over, the ending of the Trump-era rule was seen as one of the latest in a series of victories for the Biden administration. However, before this was lifted, the Biden administration faced harsh criticisms from various rights groups for not immediately lifting the policy after the Supreme Court ruling in June.

Trump-appointed judge, Matthew Kacsmaryk in Amarillo, Texas, first ruled that the Biden administration unlawfully ended the policy. This came after several Republican states, including Texas, sued Biden's Day One lifting of the controversial rule.

It took several months for Judge Kacsmaryk to lift his ruling which allowed the administration to finally lift it. According to Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, the Supreme Court still needed to communicate to the lower court that the Biden administration can now legally end the policy. A week later, the judge finally did.

Thousands of People Affected by the 'Remain in Mexico' Policy

CBS News reported that U.S. border officials have now suspended those Trump-era rules that required certain migrants to wait for their asylum hearings in Mexico. However, this may have a limited impact on current U.S. border policy. This is mainly because a very small percentage of migrants have been enrolled in the asylum program.

Since the TPP was reinstated last December after Judge Kacsmaryk's ruling, 5,764 migrants have been returned to Mexico. According to the Associated Press, Nicaraguans make up the largest number, with many others seeking asylum from Cuba, Colombia, and Venezuela. All these countries are currently experiencing deep political unrest.

Since Trump introduced the policy in January 2019, around 70,000 migrants were subjected to the controversial rule. He made it a centerpiece of his border enforcement policy. However, human rights groups have called the policy inhumane because the migrants were subjected to harsh conditions. The migrants were also exposed to gang violence, as well as the groups seeking to hunt them down.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

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