Washington, DC – In a long-overdue victory for asylum seekers, the Supreme Court ruled today that the Biden administration has the authority to terminate the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP), also known as “Remain in Mexico.”
Since the Trump administration implemented this cruel and discriminatory policy in January of 2019, over 70,000 people have been forced to wait in Mexico while their asylum claims are processed. The implementation of the policy has been devastating, and in some cases, lethal. MPP has illegally denied due process to migrants; forced them to live in inadequate and dangerous conditions for months on end; and made them vulnerable to exploitation, kidnapping, sexual violence, and other horrific abuses.
While the immense human suffering caused by MPP cannot be reversed, we hope that today’s decision is a meaningful step towards restoring the U.S. asylum system. As people of faith called to care for the most vulnerable, we will continue to fight to ensure that our government fulfills its obligation to humanely welcome people at our borders. We urge President Biden to immediately end MPP and all deadly anti-asylum policies, including Title 42.
“We are pleased that the SCOTUS agreed that the Biden Admin can terminate MPP,” said Carolina Martin Ramos, Co-Executive Director of Comunidad Maya Pixan Ixim. “It seems bizarre that our highest court was even considering this issue since MPP is illegal and violates domestic and international human rights laws including the Refugee Convention, the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UN DRIP), U.S. refugee law, treaty obligations, and due process protections. The consequences of these inhumane policies have been devastating. Just yesterday, we learned of a young Indigenous Maya child who was a victim of trafficking after the child’s mother was stuck in Mexico under MPP. Indigenous peoples suffer the worst of consequences although we have traveled across these colonial borders since time immemorial. Now, we need the U.S. to be accountable for U.S. political and business interests in our homelands that allow Maya and Indigenous peoples to be forcibly displaced, persecuted, and tortured and commit to complying with U.S. obligations under human rights and civil rights laws and treaties so Indigenous peoples can enjoy the right to stay home.”
“Today’s Supreme Court Decision on Texas v. Biden is a relief for the hundreds of faith volunteers who feed, shelter, protect, and transport asylum seekers on the U.S-Mexico border,” said Elket Rodriguez, Cooperative Baptist Fellowship Immigrants and Refugees Advocacy and Missions Team Leader. “Cooperative Baptists rejoice with the hundreds of asylum seekers that will be positively affected by this decision.”
“We welcome the Court’s recognition that the administration can act to put an end to the disastrous Remain in Mexico policy,” said Dylan Corbett, Executive Director of the Hope Border Institute. “We call for an end to Remain in Mexico and every policy that denies the right to seek asylum at our border, including Title 42. For the wellbeing and safety of vulnerable migrants and asylum seekers and for the moral health of our nation, we must restore asylum at the border now.”
“We are elated to welcome good news from the Supreme Court on a critical issue of human rights,” said Rabbi Jill Jacobs, CEO of T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights. “The Remain in Mexico policy has been harmful, inhumane, and extreme, and it is a direct affront to our Jewish commitment to welcoming those in need of refuge. Remain in Mexico, coupled with other xenophobic policies such as Title 42, had been effectively removing the human right to seek asylum. Per longstanding U.S. policy prior to the Trump administration, those seeking asylum in the U.S. should have the opportunity to await their hearings inside of the United States, without threat of deportation. Today, the Court honored that standing precedent. We call on President Biden to follow through and officially end the policy.”
“We celebrate today’s Supreme Court decision which is felt all the more deeply in light of the loss of over 50 lives in an abandoned truck near San Antonio just a few days ago. We have witnessed the suffering and deaths that have resulted from the ill-conceived Migration Protection Policy (Remain in Mexico). Today’s decision affirms the President’s authority to implement immigration policy and makes it clear that this inhumane policy is not necessary. We are also aware that today’s Supreme Court decision does not end MPP. As Presbyterians, we are committed to continuing our advocacy until the U.S. Government restores U.S. asylum to reflect our nation’s values and legal obligations, including meaningful access to protection for all, regardless of nationality or ethnic identity,” said Susan Krehbiel, Associate for Refugees and Asylum, Presbyterian Church U.S.A.
“The Sisters and Advocates of NETWORK welcome the Court’s ruling allowing the Biden administration to end the inhumane Remain in Mexico policy,” said Joan F. Neal, Deputy Executive Director & Chief Equity Officer of NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice. “This is a positive step towards creating the just and dignified immigration system we need in the United States. We hope President Biden will act on his promise to end MPP, and other detrimental policies, to restore the right to asylum.”
“The Supreme Court made the right decision today; Remain in Mexico was not only illegal, it undermined the humanity of our asylum system. Under this cruel policy, people were forced to return to the very violence that drove them to flee their homes. It isn’t an easy choice for parents to leave all they’ve ever known to try and bring their children a brighter future, but under MPP, their bravery was met with the indifference of a program that simultaneously minimized their fears and delivered them right back to them,” said Elissa Diaz, Associate Director of Policy and Advocacy at Church World Service. “This is a victory for those that believe in a just and humane immigration system, but the Biden administration must use this momentum to now end the policy once and for all and bring individuals and families subjected to the policy to safety. We urge the Biden administration and Congress to do everything in their power to also end Title 42 and other discriminatory policies that still prevent asylum seekers—particularly Black, Brown, and Indigenous asylum seekers—from exercising their legal right to find safety in the United States. It is far past time for the United States to fiercely reject human suffering and to instead welcome people with dignity.”
“We celebrate the Supreme Court’s decision on MPP and urge President Biden to terminate this unjust policy as soon as possible,” said Caraline Feairheller, Policy Communications Associate at Bridges Faith Initiative. “The harms perpetuated by MPP in its denial of the fundamental right to seek safety cannot be understated. As our faith teaches us to welcome with dignity, care, and support, we applaud this important step towards restoring the right to seek asylum and remain committed to the task of supporting future immigration policies that bring us closer to safety and dignity for all.”
“Today’s decision affirms what asylum-seekers and advocates have known all along: Of course the federal government has the right to end the so-called ‘Migrant Protection Protocols’ (MPP)—more accurately known as Remain in Mexico. We welcome the obvious conclusion that ending this program was not a violation of statute, we remain vigilant and will monitor any further attempts at the lower courts to prolong MPP on other grounds,” said UUSC Vice President and Lead Programs Officer Rachel Gore Freed. “This program should never have existed in the first place. MPP was created by fiat of the Trump administration in January 2019 and has resulted in the systematic denial of the asylum rights of thousands of people. Instead of debating whether the government has the power to end the program, courts should have ruled long ago that MPP is itself unlawful and harmful to basic human rights.”
“We commend today’s decision allowing President Biden to end Remain in Mexico, an inhumane policy that puts the lives of asylum seekers – already among the most vulnerable – in even greater jeopardy,” said Barbara Weinstein, Director of the Reform Jewish Movement’s Commission on Social Action. “For far too long this inhumane, Trump-era policy has deprived thousands of people from legally seeking asylum. As a community descended from immigrants and refugees, with a long history of persecution and sojourning in foreign lands, American Jews are particularly sensitive to the plight of today’s immigrants. We celebrate today’s decision, but know our work is not yet done. Title 42, like Remain in Mexico, turns away those legally seeking asylum at our southern border. We call on the Congress and the administration to immediately end both of these policies and restore asylum now.”
“Franciscan Action Network is grateful for the decision of the Supreme Court that the administration can terminate the ‘Remain in Mexico’ policy that has caused much suffering for thousands of vulnerable migrants,” said Sr. Marie Lucey, OSF, FAN Associate Director. “While we Franciscans welcome this decision, we reaffirm our commitment to advocate for an end to all anti-immigrant policies, notably Title 42, and to restore a humane asylum process, which acknowledges the dignity and rights of migrants and is in accord with fundamental values of this country.”
“We celebrate the decision by the Supreme Court allowing the Biden administration to end the MPP / ‘Remain in Mexico’ policy,” said Josh Baird, Global H.O.P.E. Team Leader, United Church of Christ. “This unjust policy caused massive trauma and unnecessary violence, as demonstrated most recently by the tragic deaths of 50+ migrants in Texas just this week. We call for the immediate termination of this and other discriminatory policies and share our hope that a renewed right to claim asylum safely will follow. Support for our partners on the southern border is needed now more than ever, and we encourage our churches to respond faithfully, welcoming asylum seekers with dignity and respect.”
The Interfaith Immigration Coalition is made up of over 55 national, faith-based organizations brought together across many theological traditions with a common call to seek just policies that lift up the God-given dignity of every individual. In partnership, we work to protect the rights, dignity, and safety of all refugees and migrants. Follow us on Twitter at @interfaithimm
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