Asylum seekers in the Rio Grande Valley in south Texas will now be subjectto the Migrant Protection Protocols, or MPP. That’s the controversial Trump-era program that forces asylum seekers to await U.S. court dates in Mexico.
It's the third location the revamped MPP is set to take effect. President Joe Biden tried to end the policy when he entered office at the beginning of last year. But a ruling from a federal judge in Texas mandated its return.
The administration asked the Supreme Court to weigh in on the matter at the end of 2021, but in the meantime, migrants are still being returned to Mexico and given court dates.
Arizona does not currently have an immigration court where MPP cases will occur, but aid groups say migrants seeking refuge at the state’s border are still in legal limbo.
