Mexico City, Mexico — On Monday, the United States Department of Homeland Security announced that it will end the policy of requiring asylum seekers to wait in Mexico while their U.S. applications are resolved in court.
The announcement came after a judge lifted a court order that prevented the current Joe Biden Administration from eliminating the so-called “Stay in Mexico” policy.
Under that policy adopted in 2019 by former President Donald Trump, tens of thousands of asylum seekers were sent to Mexico to wait until they had to appear before a U.S. court for their immigration hearing.
The program was considered cruel and damaging, leaving vulnerable people in unsafe conditions in border towns. In a statement, the U.S agency reported that the policy will be phased out “in a quick and orderly manner.”
No additional people are being enrolled, and those who appear in court, will not be returned to Mexico when they appear in the U.S. for their next hearings.
The policy “has endemic flaws, imposes unjustifiable human costs, and pulls resources and personnel away from other priority efforts to secure our border,” the department said adding that they will provide additional information “in the coming days.”