SAN DIEGO (AP) – The Biden administration on Friday announced plans for tens of thousands of asylum seekers in Mexico to await their next immigration court hearings so that they can enter the United States while their cases continue.
The first of an estimated 25,000 asylum seekers in Mexico with active cases will be admitted to the United States on Feb. 19, authorities said. They plan to start slowly with two border crossings each handling up to 300 people per day and a third crossing with less. Government officials declined to name them for fear they would encourage people to go to those locations.
The move is an important step toward dismantling one of former President Donald Trump’s most sweeping policies to deter asylum seekers from coming to the US. About 70,000 asylum seekers were registered in “Remain in Mexico”., “Officially referred to as” Migrant Protection Protocols, “since their introduction in January 2019.
On Biden’s first day of workthe Department of Homeland Security has suspended policy for newcomers. Since then, some asylum seekers who have been arrested at the border in the US have been released with an announcement to appear in court.
Biden is quick to deliver on a campaign promise to end the policy, which the Trump administration said was critical to pushing back a wave of asylum seekers that peaked in 2019. But the policy also exposed people to violence in Mexican border towns and cities. made it extremely difficult for them to find lawyers and communicate with courts about their cases.
“As President Biden has made clear, the US government is committed to rebuilding a safe, orderly and humane immigration system,” said Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas. “This latest move is another step in our commitment to reforming immigration policies that are inconsistent with our country’s values.”
Homeland Security said the move “should not be interpreted as an opening for people to migrate illegally to the United States.” Administration officials have repeatedly said that the vast majority of people who illegally cross the border are being quickly expelled under a public health order in effect since the pandemic hit in March, but the release of some asylum-seeking families in Texas and California has opposed those reports. worked .
White House press secretary Jen Psaki said on Thursday that she was concerned that limited releases in the US could encourage others to cross the road illegally because “ we don’t want people to put themselves in danger at a time when it isn’t. is the right time to come ‘. because we have not had time to establish a humane and moral system and process. “
Hearings for people registered for “Remain in Mexico” have been suspended since June due to the pandemic. It can prove to be a daunting task having to report to the border for release in the United States.
Homeland Security said it would soon announce a “virtual registration process” available online and over the phone so that people can learn when and where to report. It urged asylum seekers not to report at the border unless requested to do so.
Asylum seekers are tested for COVID-19 before entering the US
The announcement does not provide relief for people whose cases have been dismissed or dismissed, although government officials have not ruled out additional action. Proponents argue that communication problems, including a lack of work addresses in Mexico, have caused some to miss hearings and lose their cases as a result.
Since Biden took office, more people have been stopped from illegally crossing the border.
Raul Ortiz, deputy chief of the Border Patrol, said on Tuesday that more than 3,000 people had crossed the border illegally in each of the previous 10 days, compared to a daily average of 2,426 in January.
About 50 to 80 adults and children have been arriving daily at Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley in Texas since January 27, where people have been temporarily released by the Border Patrol, said Sister Norma Pimentel, the group’s executive director. The charity tests for COVID-19 and sends anyone who tests positive to a hotel for isolation.
The San Diego Jewish Family Service housed 191 asylum seekers in the first 10 days of February after they were released by US authorities, up from 144 in January and 54 in December, said Eitan Peled, the group’s supporter of the group’s border services. They are quarantined in hotels for 10 days.