NNIRR On the Termination of Migrant Protection Protocols

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 10, 2022

On August 8, the Northern District of Texas lifted the injunction that had prevented the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) from ending the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP) also known as the “Remain in Mexico” policy.

We welcome the prompt announcement by DHS stating that individuals are no longer being newly enrolled in MPP, and individuals currently in MPP in Mexico will be dis-enrolled when they return for their next scheduled court date.

After the District Court vacated its injunction, the states of Texas and Missouri filed an amended complaint challenging the second DHS memo terminating the policy. We urge the administration to continue to fight any effort to force the reimplementation of the Remain in Mexico policy, and work to ensure that due process is provided to the people who were enrolled in the program.

Asylum seekers returned to Mexico under MPP, have faced multiple human rights abuses and multiple levels of dangers including kidnapping, violence, rape, and murder. Denied to basic health care and educational needs, and fundamentally denied their right to seek asylum in the United States. 

Secretary Mayorkas himself recognized in the termination Memorandum that the policy imposed “substantial and unjustifiable human costs on the individuals who were exposed to harm while waiting in Mexico”. 

The fight is not over, as Title 42 remains in place, we call for an end to all policies resulting in racially-based human and civil rights violations and will continue to push for the demilitarization of the border.