US Homeland Security to issue memo ending Donald Trump’s immigration policy

The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on Wednesday said that it intends to introduce a memo to end Donald Trump-era’s ‘remain in Mexico’ immigration program. This statement by the federal unit comes a month after the Supreme Court had asked the Joe Biden administration to comply with a Texas court’s ruling to reinstate Trump’s policy that required many asylum-seekers to wait outside the United States for their cases to be decided.

The DHS had issued a memo in June to end the program, formally known as the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP) before the Texas-based federal judge ruled MPP must be restarted.

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“A new memorandum terminating MPP will not take effect until the current injunction is lifted by court order,” the DHS said in a statement on Wednesday.

“In issuing a new memorandum terminating MPP, the Department intends to address the concerns raised by the courts with respect to the prior memorandum.”

What is the MPP?

The Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP) are a US Government action whereby certain foreign individuals entering or seeking admission to the U.S. from Mexico – illegally or without proper documentation – may be returned to Mexico and wait outside of the US for the duration of their immigration proceedings, where Mexico will provide them with all appropriate humanitarian protections for the duration of their stay, as per the DHS. 

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The Biden administration has sought to reverse Trump’s headline immigration polices under the MPP program. Republicans have blamed the Democratic President for the steep surge of migrants crossing the southern US border, which has reached 20-year highs in recent months.

The Senate parliamentarian told Democrats on Wednesday that their newest proposal for helping millions of immigrants stay in the US permanently could not be included in their $3.5 trillion social and environment bill, the party’s latest setback on the issue.

“It’s unfortunate. I disagree with her,” Senator Bob Menendez, D-N.J., one of the party’s pro-immigration advocates, said of the decision by Elizabeth MacDonough, the chamber’s nonpartisan rules arbiter.