\n\n“The memo argues that the policy, also known as \u201cRemain in Mexico,\u201d caused more harm than good, particularly in terms of its humanitarian impact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI recognize that MPP likely contributed to reduced migratory flows,\u201d DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas wrote in the four-page memo<\/a> announcing the policy shift. \u201cBut it did so by imposing substantial and unjustifiable human costs on the individuals who were exposed to harm while waiting in Mexico.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n That determination is in line with Biden\u2019s campaign promises on immigration, which included reversing policies like Trump\u2019s \u201czero-tolerance\u201d policy<\/a> that resulted in family separations. It\u2019s at odds<\/a>, however, with the administration\u2019s continuing reluctance to completely do away with other Trump-era legacies like Title 42<\/a>, the immigration order that has allowed for the deportation of migrants as a public health measure during the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And even though Biden began rolling back the MPP<\/a> soon after taking office in January, his administration has had to prepare to re-implement the program<\/a> in recent weeks in order to comply with a previous court order \u2014 even as it\u2019s actively fighting to end the policy for good.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n …<\/p>\n\n\n\n “A 39-page justification<\/a> published along withthe memo outlines in further detail the conditions<\/a> migrants faced in detention in Mexico, including the risk of sexual assault and kidnapping in the encampments where they stayed, as well as unsanitary and unstable housing conditions, limited access to health care and legal counsel, and insufficient food while they waited for the US to make a decision about their asylum hearings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The right to seek asylum<\/a> is protected under international law, and has been since the UN\u2019s Universal Declaration of Human Rights<\/a> was adopted in 1948.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n …<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Ultimately, the Biden administration argues the policy has far too many issues for it to be salvaged: Not only does it require significant resources that could be directed elsewhere, according to the DHS memo, but MPP also failed to achieve reduction in crimes like human trafficking and drug smuggling, put people in serious danger, and doesn\u2019t address the root causes that lead to people seeking asylum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Additionally, the memo says, any program fixes would require the cooperation of Mexico and further diplomatic negotiations \u2014 time and energy that could be better spent on other issues. And other strict immigration policies<\/a> were enacted at the same time as MPP, making it difficult to assess any deterrent effect the policy may have achieved.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n