Biden plans to reinstate Trump’s “Stay in Mexico” policy

U.S. President Joe Biden plans to resume the Migrant Protection Protocol (MPP) program, informally known as the "Stay in Mexico" policy, starting next week, reported Axios and Fox News.

The measure will force asylum seekers in the U.S. to wait for the outcome of their cases in Mexico.

The program will be implemented in San Diego, Brownsville, and El Paso, cities that border the Mexican cities of Tijuana, Matamoros, and Ciudad Juarez, according to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

The announcement of the program comes after a Texas judge issued an order to implement "Stay in Mexico." His decision stemmed from a lawsuit filed by Texas and Missouri in favor of the policy.

The judge urged the federal government to restore the program, at least until can be "lawfully rescinded" or until authorities can detain asylum seekers who, in the absence of such a policy, can enter the United States.

The Trump administration implemented the program at the end of 2019, even though the law allows asylum seekers to wait for the resolution of their cases in the United States.

What sets apart Biden’s program from Trump’s is that now all adult migrants registered in the MPP will receive Covid-19 vaccines. However, it is unknown at what point in the process migrants will be vaccinated.

The return of "Stay in Mexico" is controversial, since one of Biden's first actions after he became president was to cancel the policy. The judge in charge of the case found that the order to terminate the MPPs violated federal administrative law and did not take into account the benefits of the program, mainly its alleged deterrent effect on the entry of migrants into the United States.