On Tuesday, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced that it would be repealing a popular and highly successful policy that kept illegal aliens in Mexico while they waited for their immigration cases to be heard, as reported by the New York Post.
The “Remain in Mexico” policy, formally known as the Migrant Protection Protocols Program, successfully reduced illegal immigration by making it clear that illegals would not automatically be guaranteed entry into the United States, but would instead have to wait in the country of Mexico. This ultimately led to 44 percent of illegal aliens who tried to claim asylum ultimately being denied because they eventually refused to show up in court. The policy was first implemented in 2019, under then-Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen.
In a memo announcing the reversal, Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas claimed that the policy “does not adequately or sustainably enhance border management in such a way as to justify the program’s extensive operational burdens and other shortfalls.” Mayorkas did not provide any evidence to back up these assertions, and in fact, part of the policy’s success was that it relied on cooperation between the United States and Mexico to ease the logistical burden on both countries.
To replace the policy, Mayorkas announced a new policy called the “Dedicated Docket,” which will be devoted to expediting immigration hearings for any families that illegally cross the border. This process requires immigration judges to decide each case within 300 days of it first being brought before the court.
The repeal of the Remain in Mexico policy fulfills another one of Biden’s campaign promises to essentially eliminate immigration enforcement and reduce border enforcement to all but zero. Whereas President Donald Trump emphasized an America First policy of securing the border and reducing legal and illegal immigration altogether, Biden openly campaigned on opening the border and giving taxpayer-funded benefits to illegals, including free healthcare and free education.