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Remain in Mexico SCOTUS Decision Celebrated by Ignatian Network

BY ISN STAFF | July 1, 2022

On Thursday, June 30, 2022, the Supreme Court ruled that the Biden administration has the authority to terminate the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP), also known as “Remain in Mexico.”

Implemented by the Trump administration in January of 2019, the policy has forced over 70,000 people to wait in Mexico while their asylum claims are processed. MPP has illegally denied due process to migrants; forced them to live in inadequate and dangerous conditions for months on end; and made them vulnerable to exploitation, kidnapping, sexual violence, and other horrific abuses.

Ignatian Network Celebrates SCOTUS Decision on Remain in Mexico, Urges Action

“As people of faith, we affirm the inherent dignity of every person and the ability of families to seek asylum—to seek security and safety for themselves and family members,” said Christopher Kerr, executive director for the Ignatian Solidarity Network. “We join with partners across the U.S. and beyond in celebrating the Supreme Court’s ruling that the Biden administration can end the Remain in Mexico policy and ask the administration to swiftly take action to do so, and to end other policies, including Title 42, which further infringe upon the rights of asylum seekers.”

After the decision was announced, partners from across the Ignatian network released statements celebrating the ruling and urging the Biden administration to take action to immediately end MPP, along with other unjust anti-asylum policies, including Title 42, the policy put in place to unjustly deny the right to asylum during the pandemic.. 

Kino Border Initiative

“It is always cause for celebration when an unjust and inhumane policy such as ‘Remain in Mexico’ ends,” says Pedro De Velasco, Director of Education and Advocacy at the Kino Border Initiative. “This is, without a doubt, an important hopeful step towards restoring access to asylum for thousands of people displaced by violence. However, the greatest barrier still left to overcome is Title 42, which continues to block access to humanitarian protections for so many families who so desperately need it.

Jesuit Refugee Service/USA 

“Since it was instituted in January 2019, MPP was intended to prevent individuals and families fleeing violence and persecution from seeking protection in the United States,” said Joan Rosenhauer, Executive Director of Jesuit Refugee Service/USA. “Today, the United States is moving forward on reaffirming its values and laws in support of the right of asylum seekers to safely wait in the United States while their asylum claim is processed. We urge the Biden Administration to take all necessary steps to quickly end MPP and establish an effective and efficient asylum process.”

Joint Statement: Catholic Legal Immigration Network (CLINIC), U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Migration, and Catholic Charities USA

“Today’s decision recognizes and preserves the executive branch’s ability to reverse untenable, illegal and immoral policies, regardless of who is in office. The implementation of MPP has obstructed due process and subjected people to the very dangers that forced them to seek refuge in the United States in the first place. With this ruling, we welcome the end of MPP.

Ours is both a nation of laws and a beacon of hope for many throughout the world. This should inspire us to work toward just and humane responses to forced migration, not embrace failed policies of the past. As Pope Francis has warned, we cannot limit ourselves to building ‘walls of fear’ and supporting ‘vetoes dictated by nationalist interests’ if we are to achieve meaningful progress in addressing these challenges.

While this ruling helps pave the way forward, it does not resolve the ongoing challenges at our country’s southwest border. We remain committed to supporting immigration policies that produce more sustainable solutions, respect the God-given dignity of migrants, and better reflect Christ’s call to welcome the stranger.”

Hope Border Institute

“We welcome the Court’s recognition that the administration can act to put an end to the disastrous Remain in Mexico policy,” said Dylan Corbett, Executive Director of the Hope Border Institute. “We call for an end to Remain in Mexico and every policy that denies the right to seek asylum at our border, including Title 42. For the wellbeing and safety of vulnerable migrants and asylum seekers and for the moral health of our nation, we must restore asylum at the border now.”

NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice

“The Sisters and Advocates of NETWORK welcome the Court’s ruling allowing the Biden administration to end the inhumane Remain in Mexico policy,” said Joan F. Neal, Deputy Executive Director & Chief Equity Officer of NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice. “This is a positive step towards creating the just and dignified immigration system we need in the United States. We hope President Biden will act on his promise to end MPP, and other detrimental policies, to restore the right to asylum.”

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