Press Release

Washington — Today the Biden administration announced it will issue a new memo terminating the cruel and illegal Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP). While the #WelcomeWithDignity campaign is glad the administration has adopted a recommendation repeatedly shared by our members, our leaders must do more to create a safe and fair asylum process. The memo will address concerns raised in litigation brought by the states of Texas and Missouri resulting in a flawed court decision ordering the administration to restart MPP in August. However, as several #WelcomeWithDignity partners asserted in an amicus brief filed earlier this week — any form of MPP would in fact violate the laws of the United States and its treaty obligations to people escaping persecution.

Under MPP people seeking asylum were forced to await their U.S. court dates in dangerous conditions in northern Mexico, under the threat of violence, kidnappings, and homelessness. Although the Biden administration continues to signal its intent to fully end MPP, its embrace of another violent policy, Title 42, is exposing families, children, and adults to the very same dangers. Since the president took office, human rights investigators have documented over 6,300 violent attacks on people expelled to Mexico. In the past 10 days alone, the world has watched in horror as the administration has used Title 42 to expel over 6,000 Haitians to a country in deep crisis. If President Biden truly wants to turn the page on the racism and cruelty of the Trump era, his administration must immediately stop the expulsions, permanently end MPP, and welcome with dignity all people seeking safety at our nation’s doorstep.

“The #WelcomeWithDignity campaign looks forward to the expeditious issuance of a new memo to end MPP, also known as ‘Remain in Mexico,’ once and for all,” said Melina Roche, Campaign Manager of #WelcomeWithDignity. “There is no safe or humane way to carry out MPP or similar policies that require people seeking safety to wait in Mexico while their asylum cases are being processed. We urge the Biden administration to take all necessary steps to preserve the wind down of MPP that began earlier this year and continue to process into safety people previously subjected to MPP. To restore access to asylum at the border, the administration also must end the unlawful and cruel Title 42 expulsions.”

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The #WelcomeWithDignity Campaign is composed of more than 85 organizations committed to transforming the way the United States receives and protects people forced to flee their homes to ensure they are treated humanely and fairly. To learn more and join our campaign visit: welcomewithdignity.org