Biden admin to begin processing asylum-seekers who were forced to 'Remain in Mexico' under Trump

Next week, the Biden administration will begin processing immigrants who have been waiting, often in poor conditions, under the Trump-era "Remain in Mexico" policy, and allowing them to live in the U.S. while they await rulings on their asylum cases, administration officials said Thursday.

The policy, also known as Migrant Protection Protocol or MPP, began in January 2019 and has been criticized as inhumane by international organizations as Central Americans often went without adequate shelter and became the targets of violence in Mexico as they waited months or more than a year before they were allowed to make their case for asylum in a U.S. court date. The officials estimated more than 25,000 migrants are currently waiting at the border under the program, and said they would begin allowing approximately 600 per day to enter.

The move is a step toward "humane processing at the border," said one official on a press call with reporters on Thursday.