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Texas Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk ordered the Biden administration to bring back the Trump-era policy known as Remain in Mexico, which required migrants to wait in Mexico for their U.S. immigration court dates. Biden removed the policy shortly after taking office. Kacsmaryk, a Trump appointee, blocked the administration from implementing a June memo officially ending the policy. He said the Biden administration’s removal of Remain in Mexico violated the Administrative Procedure Act, a law that commands what procedures agencies should follow to achieve certain policies. He claimed Department of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas’ memo “failed to consider several of the main benefits of” the Migrant Protection Protocols and didn’t discuss the increase in border crossings. CNN
In other local immigration news…
U.S. Criticized While Aiding Afghan Helpers
The U.S. government says it is trying to quicken the processing of visas for former Afghan employees who face threats from the Taliban military. Yet critics believe the effort is too late. About 1,200 Afghans with special immigration visas arrived in Fort Lee, Virginia, on Friday. There are roughly 18,000 Afghans who applied for SIVs for themselves and their families who are trying to leave as soon as possible. Refugee advocates say many of those who received the visas weren’t able to get out. Some visa recipients are trapped in provinces overrun by the Taliban, while others Kabul haven’t been assigned a U.S. government flight. The Guardian
Immigration Advocates Call Biden’s Asylum Policies ‘Cruel’
Immigration advocates are calling Biden’s asylum policies, which continue limiting migrants from claiming protections, “cruel, unlawful and ineffective.” Over 100 organizations sent Biden and top officials a letter urging the president to improve the opportunity for all migrants to claim asylum in the U.S. and avoid new policies that limit asylum access. In the letter, the groups said they were “gravely concerned” about the flights and reports that migrants were being taken to a remote part of Guatemala. Marielena Hincapié, executive director of the National Immigration Law Center, said the flights indicated it seems Biden is focusing on arrests and deportation instead of the rights of asylum seekers. Reuters and U.S. News & World Report
