A federal appeals court on Friday slapped a temporary halt on the Remain-in-Mexico policy — one of the most effective Trump administration policies in halting last year’s migrant crisis — dealing a significant blow to the administration’s efforts to control the flow of migrants claiming asylum at the southern border.
The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco ruled in a 2-1 vote to put a hold on the policy — formally known as the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP). In a separate ruling Friday, the same court also blocked an administration policy that prevents immigrants who crossed the border illegally from then claiming asylum in the U.S.
The policy, which was established in January and expanded over the summer amid greater cooperation with Mexico, returns migrants to Mexico as they await their hearings, with courtrooms set up at key border points in places such as Laredo and Brownsville, Texas. Approximately 57,000 people have been returned to Mexico under the policy.
The policy essentially ended the process known as “catch-and-release” by which migrants were released into the interior, sometimes for years, until their cases were processed. While critics said MPP was cruel and placed migrants in danger of violence by returning them to the country, it was identified as ending a key “pull factor” in why migrants were flooding the border — namely that they would be allowed into the interior of the U.S. if they reached the border.
Officials said the process meant that cases could be heard in as little as 40-60 days, as opposed to the years it sometimes takes after family units are released into the U.S. Those in favor of the program said that works better for the migrants, as it leaves them in limbo for less time, while also acting as a disincentive for Central American migrants who do not have legitimate asylum claims but might otherwise get into the U.S. by claiming “credible fear” of returning home. – READ MORE
Listen to the insightful Thomas Paine Podcast Below --