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Trump Reinforces Use of His ‘Remain in Mexico’ Policy
January 20, 2025 | By atoztechworld
Former President Donald J. Trump has formally resumed the contentious “Remain in Mexico” policy, which had been a key feature of his first term immigration agenda. This policy, officially called the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP), forces certain would-be refugees to stay in Mexico as their cases go through the United States immigration courts.
Introduced in 2019, it associated people with the overcrowded and unhygienic border centers where tens of thousands of migrants were left in rather inadequate conditions. Trump has been adamant on the policy because opposition from human rights activists as well as international organizations regarding the policy as inhuman.
A Renewed Push for Border Security
“Remain in Mexico” is among the executive decisions made by Trump to change the nature of immigration in the United States. His administration has also threatened to build the southern border wall, revoke birthright citizenship to children of non-citizens and introduce more restrictive measures for asylum seekers.
In the course of his campaign, Trump mentioned the necessity of the revival of the “Remain in Mexico” policy as one of the key points of his strategy to build up the border in the south. His activities have been praised and criticized in equal measure, which shows people’s opinion is divided in terms of the U.S immigration policies.
Criticism and Legal Challenges
The policy has not been popular among advocacy groups including the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). They even claim that it exposes migrants to deadly conditions in areas patrolled by criminal cartels. Before a Senate Homeland Security Committee hearing last week, the ACLU issued a statement to say that the policy “does not enhance border management or solve the causes of migration; it deepens humanitarian suffering.”
Nonetheless, Republican legislators and Trump fans have noted that the policy was successfully in decreasing the number of unauthorized entries during its early stages. This policy remains a favorite topic of discussion in Washington as legal challenges are expected to increase as advocacy groups plan to fight the reimplementation of the policy.
The End of the CBP One App
In step with the restoration of “Remain in Mexico” policy, the CBP One application developed under the Biden administration has been shut down. The app that enabled migrants to book an appointment for ports of entry in the United States was one of the measures used by the previous administration to regulate border crossings. But it was also criticized for establishing long waiting lists and for favoring new applicants over those who have been in the system for years.
As per the Customs and Border Protection (CBP), all the features of the application were disabled on January 20, 2025, and all the scheduled appointments were cancelled. This has left thousands of migrants stranded and worsening the border status, and this move has been done.
The Road Ahead
The revamping of “Remain in Mexico” policy as well as the suspension of the CBP One app are stark changes in the United States’ immigration policy . While its proponents claim that it will bring a new order to the border, opponents have paid attention to the further humanitarian catastrophes that may be expected and legal ambiguity of the situation.
As advocacy groups prepare for legal challenges and violence continues in border areas, Trump’s new immigration plan will be put to the test in the next few months.
“Information and reporting were drawn from an NPR article published on January 20, 2025.”
