HIAS Welcomes The End of 'Remain In Mexico' Policy

On June 1, Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas issued a memorandum officially terminating the Remain in Mexico program. Formally referred to as the Migrant Protection Protocols, or MPP, the Remain in Mexico program forced more than 71,000 asylum seekers to wait in dangerous areas of Mexico for their asylum cases to be heard. Waiting in Mexico not only prevented asylum seekers from exercising their legal rights but subjected many to murder, sexual assault, kidnapping, and other crimes.

While the Biden administration suspended new enrollment of asylum seekers in MPP when it took office, its formal termination of the program is an important step. The Remain in Mexico policy was unjust and inhumane, and HIAS is glad to see it end.

“The Remain in Mexico program punished asylum seekers and created a completely avoidable humanitarian disaster right at our border," said Melanie Nezer, HIAS' senior vice president of public affairs. “We applaud Secretary Mayorkas for ending MPP, but more work needs to be done. We urge the administration to give every person who was barred from the U.S. because of the Remain in Mexico program a real chance to seek safety in the United States.”

HIAS provides extensive assistance to asylum seekers on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border. We call on the Biden administration to end the Title 42 policy of barring asylum seekers from the United States for public health reasons. People can be safely processed on this side of the border, and they have the legal right to seek asylum.

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HIAS is the international Jewish humanitarian organization that provides vital services to refugees and asylum seekers in 16 countries. We advocate for the rights of all forcibly displaced people to rebuild their lives and seek to create a world in which they find safety, opportunity, and welcome.