Do You Support the New ‘Remain in Mexico’ Policy for Asylum Seekers?

What’s the story?

• The Trump administration on Friday will begin forcing some asylum seekers, mainly from Central America, to remain in Mexico while their cases make their way through U.S. courts.
• The policy, announced by the Department of Homeland Security on Thursday night, will be introduced at San Diego’s San Ysidro border crossing, the busiest in the nation.

"Aliens trying to game the system to get into our country illegally will no longer be able to disappear into the United States, where many skip their court dates. Instead, they will wait for an immigration court decision while they are in Mexico. 'Catch and release' will be replaced with 'catch and return.'" -DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen

What are the details?

• The plan is to bus asylum-seekers back and forth from Tijuana, Mexico, to a courthouse in downtown San Diego.
• According to a fact sheet distributed by DHS, these measures will apply to “certain aliens attempting to enter the U.S. illegally or without documentation, including those who claim asylum.” Unauthorized immigrants will no longer be allowed into the U.S. “where they often fail to file an asylum application or disappear before an immigration judge can determine the merits of any claim to prevent removal.”

What are both sides saying?

• DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen first announced the plans for the "Migration Protection Protocols" in a memo in late December.
• Nielsen called the new measures “unprecedented” and said they’re intended to address “the ongoing humanitarian and security crisis at our Southern border.”

“For far too long, our immigration system has been exploited by smugglers, traffickers, and those who have no legal right to remain in the United States.”

• Immigration rights groups oppose the Migration Protection Protocols, saying it violates U.S. and international asylum laws.

“The president thinks he can do this unilaterally,” said Kevin Appleby, a senior director at the Center for Migration Studies. “But it’s a blatant rejection of current law.”

What do you think?

Do you support the new “Remain in Mexico” policy? Take action above and tell your reps, then share your thoughts below.

—Josh Herman 

(Photo Credit: U.S. Customs and Border Protection)