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The Biden administration announced its plans to reestablish the Trump-era Remain in Mexico policy next month. The policy forces asylum seekers to wait in Mexico for their U.S. immigration court hearings. In August, a federal judge ordered the administration to reinstate the policy, which had so far forced 70,000 non-Mexican migrants to wait in Mexico. Even though the Biden administration planned to end the policy, it’s currently obligated to comply with the August court order. According to a senior Biden administration official, if Mexico agrees to support Remain in Mexico’s revival, the U.S. could start the program “sometime in mid-November.” Administration officials said they’re working on changes for the program to better reflect the Biden administration’s goals. CBS News
In other federal immigration news…
Immigration Advocates Protest Virtual Meeting with Biden Officials
According to several people who attended a virtual meeting with Biden officials on Saturday, dozens of immigration advocates clicked out of the meeting to protest the administration’s reintroduction of Remain in Mexico. Before the meeting started, activists read a statement accusing the administration of “playing politics with human lives” and said they couldn’t “come into these conversations in good conscience.” “I cannot stand one more meeting of them pretending,” said Ariana Saludares, an advocate from the New Mexico-based Colores United. A White House official told Politico that “the Biden Administration has been very clear that MPP is not an immigration policy we agree with or support.” The official added that they have to comply with the law and plan on restoring the program. Politico
Administration Struggles to Find Central America Solutions
President Joe Biden tasked Vice President Kamala Harris months ago with addressing the reasons Central Americans migrate to the southern border. But seven months later, migrants from farther away in South America are overwhelming the Biden administration. Efforts were launched in the Northern Triangle countries to set up internet access and invest in farmers, but then more Haitian migrants began traveling to the U.S. through South America. The Biden administration is still looking for ways to approach causes of migration. A spokesperson told CNN that the State Department funded Creole and Spanish digital advertisements targeting Haitian migrants to advise them on U.S. border and immigration policies. CNN
