President Joe Biden campaigned on the promise to build a fair and humane immigration system. Now, immigration advocates are pressuring him to end two policies from the Trump administration: the Migrant Protection Plan (MPP) and Title 42.
MPP was announced in 2018 by then-Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen.It requires asylum seekers to stay in Mexico while they wait for a court decision on their case, which can often take months. Immigration advocates called it illegal and inhumane. They quickly filed lawsuits against the Trump administration for implementing it.
Biden announced he would end the controversial policy earlier this year. But in August, the Supreme Court ordered MPP to be reinstated. Now his administration is fighting to terminate the policy in court. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas released a second memo in late October which states, “MPP had endemic flaws, imposed unjustifiable human costs, pulled resources and personnel away from other priority efforts, and did not address the root causes of irregular migration.”
All of this is happening while another Trump-era immigration policy is in effect. Title 42 has been enforced since March of last year, making it even harder for migrants to seek asylum. Trump authorized Title 42 due to fears of spreading COVID-19. The policy expels migrants back to Mexico or their home country if they cross the border illegally. Biden has not said anything about when he might end that policy despite criticism from lawmakers, and immigration lawyers.
So where does the Biden administration stand on immigration? And how have these policies affected asylum seekers?
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