Jesuit Refugee Service/USA is deeply disappointed in the Supreme Court’s refusal to intervene in a lower court decision to revive the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP). The Biden Administration must stand firm in opposing this harmful policy and do everything in its power to ensure that the rights of asylum seekers are protected.

First introduced by President Trump in early 2019, MPP is a harmful policy that forced asylum seekers to return to Mexico to live in dangerous and uncertain circumstances, targeted by gangs and criminal activity. “I’ve met men, women, and children stranded in Mexico who have endured unthinkable violence and persecution,” said Joan Rosenhauer, Executive Director. “All they want is the opportunity to petition for safety in the United States and to do so in a safe and protected environment.

President Biden officially terminated MPP in June 2021 and his Administration has been working to process those registered in the program, including those whose cases were dismissed or denied for failing to appear in court. These actions acknowledged the disproportionate burden placed on asylum seekers who were forced to wait in Mexico with few resources and no legal representation while their cases were adjudicated in the US.

“The US must not endorse a policy that has caused so much harm, but instead we should seek to improve our current system to ensure it is as fair and secure as possible,” said Giulia McPherson, Director of Advocacy. “We urge the Biden Administration to continue to fight implementation of this policy to ensure that our country upholds US and international asylum law and provides protection to those fleeing violence.”