Statement: Supreme Court’s Revival of Trump-Era “Remain in Mexico” Immigration Policy Will Cause Further Harm to Children Seeking Safety

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Washington, D.C. August 25, 2021.- Yesterday, the U.S. Supreme Court denied the Biden administration’s attempt to rescind the Remain in Mexico program, officially known as the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP). The program, implemented by former president Donald Trump, forced thousands of asylum seekers to stay on the U.S.-Mexico border in squalid conditions as they waited for their hearings in the U.S.

In response to this disappointing decision, Gladis Molina Alt, Executive Director for the Young Center for Immigrant Children’s Rights issued the following statement:

“MPP has trapped more than 70,000 people, including tens of thousands of children in dangerous conditions in northern Mexico while they await hearings on their asylum claims. Children and families subjected to this cruel program not only fled violence in their own countries but were also subjected to new threats to their safety in Mexico, including kidnapping, extortion, and sexual violence.

As documented in an amicus brief we filed before the Supreme Court in December 2019 and several stories, MPP has caused profound harm to the physical and mental health and well-being of children and their families. The Biden administration was right to end this inhumane program. Any attempt to relaunch a “gentler” version of the policy risks bringing further harm to children and violating our legal obligations to protect refugees and asylum seekers.”

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The Young Center for Immigrant Children’s Rights is a non-profit organization that protects and advances the rights and best interests of immigrant children and advocates for an immigration system that treats children as children first.

For press inquiries, please contact Noorjahan Akbar at media@theyoungcenter.org or 202-725-7184.