US ends Migrant Protection Protocols

United States has ended Migrant Protection Protocols which is also dubbed as “Remain in Mexico” policy.

Remain in Mexico Policy

• This policy forced several Central American asylum seekers to wait in Mexico for US court cases.
• Now, Joe Biden administration has paused this programme called known as the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP) in January 2021.
• Since January 2021, about 11,000 migrants have enrolled in it and have been allowed to enter US to seek asylum claims.
• However, Republicans have criticised reversal of this policy. Because, it encouraged huge migrant arrivals at US-Mexico border.

Joe Biden Administration

Even since Biden took office, he has reversed many restrictive immigration policies by President Donald Trump as they were against US asylum laws.

Mexico–United States border

The international border separating Mexico and United States extends from Pacific Ocean in west to Gulf of Mexico in east. It traverses different terrains, from urban areas to deserts. This border is considered as most frequently crossed border across the world with about 350 million documented crossings each year.

US-Mexico Border Wall

In 2016, former President Donald Trump proposed to build a border wall to control immigration across the border. According to him, border wall would cost $8 to $12 billion. Trump signed Executive Order 13767, in 2017, that directed U.S. government to start wall construction along U.S.–Mexico border using federal funding but construction started in 2019. Barrier along 455 miles was built. However, newly elected U.S. president Joe Biden terminated national emergency and stopped construction of wall in January 2021.

Month: Current Affairs - June, 2021