WASHINGTON, D.C. – FWD.us President Todd Schulte issued the following statement on the latest Biden Administration’s developments on expanded eligibility for Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP). The announced expansion opens up processing for two new groups of MPP respondents physically located in Mexico:
“We are relieved and very thankful that the Biden Administration continues to take important steps towards processing more people and families into the U.S. who have been inhumanely trapped in MPP. The U.S. must never forget the horrors done in its name through the Trump Administration’s Remain in Mexico policy, and today is a stride to heal the injustices it caused to the more than 70,000 people and their families.

“Today’s notice to Congress finally gives an estimated 34,000 more people seeking asylum and children fleeing violence and persecution the opportunity to access legal humanitarian relief from within the U.S., leaving behind the horrors of conflict, natural disasters and famine. However, it is still concerning that the expanded eligibility criteria excludes a significant portion of the MPP population, including those forced to seek safety in the United States without authorization; those forced to return to the danger of their home countries; and those who followed the rules and attended every court hearing. People placed in MPP faced exceptional hurdles that arose from their placement in MPP which directly impeded their ability to meaningfully access counsel, understand their rights and responsibilities, and present their cases before Immigration Judges. Therefore it’s vital that the U.S. give migrants and children seeking relief the opportunity to finally seek justice and rescind any removal orders issued under MPP.

“Efforts to protect the populations most harmed by the Trump Administration’s immigration policies should not be confined to those impacted by MPP. If the Biden Administration wants to remain true to their promise of building a safe, orderly, and humane asylum system for all who are impacted, it must urgently end Title 42. The impacts of Title 42 amount to the same harm and lack of access to justice as MPP, and both have acutely impacted Black people seeking asylum from Haiti, Brazil, and elsewhere. While winding down MPP is one way to relieve harm, the continued expulsion of asylum seekers at the border under Title 42 is another day that the United States keeps people in desperate need of humanitarian relief at risk of irreparable and fatal human consequences. As we await further developments, we will continue to do what we can to support impacted families.”