Biden administration attempts to end 'Remain in Mexico' policy for second time

The Department of Homeland Security announced Friday its second attempt at ending the Trump-era Migrant Protections Protocol, also known as Remain in Mexico. 

Under the ordinance, migrants seeking asylum in the U.S. were required to remain in Mexico until an immigration court decided their individual cases. 

"After carefully considering the arguments, evidence, and perspectives presented by those who support re-implementation of MPP… I have determined that MPP should be terminated," said DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas in a memo obtained by Just the News.

Mayorkas conceded in the memo that the policy helped in reducing the tide of migrants attempting to illegally cross into the U.S. while saying the cost of the policy was too high.

"In reaching this conclusion, I recognize that MPP likely contributed to reduced migratory flows," Mayorkas wrote. "But it did so by imposing substantial and unjustifiable human costs on the individuals who were exposed to harm while waiting in Mexico."

The announcement comes after a federal judge ordered the Biden administration to reinstate the policy after attempting to terminate it back in January. 

The Supreme Court denied an appeal by the Biden administration following the federal judge's ruling order.

In a separate memo, Mayoraks outlines his justification for ending the policy, such as Mexico refusing to comply with MPP unless "substantial improvements" are made. 

"I have concluded that there are inherent problems with the program that no amount of resources can sufficiently fix," Mayorkas noted in the memo.

According to CNBC, approximately 70,000 migrants have been returned to Mexico under the DHS policy since 2019. Many of the migrants waited months, even years, as their cases moved through the immigration court system. 

It is not yet clear if a federal court will intervene concerning the termination of the remain in Mexico policy.