Border-focused Republicans are eagerly awaiting the next Trump administration, and with it, the return of Remain in Mexico, an immigration policy that makes migrants who illegally cross the border to claim asylum wait in Mexico for their court date, rather than being released into the U.S. under parole.
During a U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs hearing, witnesses confirmed to lawmakers that the president has the statutory power to reimplement the 2019 program, also known as Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP), but added that Congress must do its part.
“Congress must provide the president the resources he needs to accomplish that task,” Andrew R. Arthur from the Center for Immigration Studies testified. “But the current and incoming presidents, like their immediate predecessors, already have ample statutory authorities in the INA to secure the border. How and whether the president chooses to use those authorities, however, is up to him.”
Remain in Mexico in particular is a crucial tool to combat the immigration crisis, he added, because successfully deterring illegal immigration starts before migrants physically reach the border. If potential migrants know the president is serious about securing the border, many of them will decide the risks and costs of travel are not worth the slim chances of success.
Under the Biden administration, which scrapped Remain in Mexico and many other border security policies, more than 12 million migrants have illegally tried to cross the border. In fiscal year 2024 alone, nearly 3 million migrants crossed or attempted to cross the border.
