Biden Admin Can End 'Remain in Mexico' Policy, Supreme Court Says

The Supreme Court ruled Thursday that the Biden administration can end the Trump-era "Migrant Protection Protocols" policy, better known as the "Remain in Mexico" program.

The rule required asylum seekers to wait in Mexico while their cases are processed. In a 5-4 ruling authored by conservative Chief Justice John Roberts, the court overturned a lower court's decision requiring the Biden administration to restart the policy. Prior to the policy, people fleeing violence were generally allowed to cross the border and apply for asylum within the U.S. Under Trump, roughly 70,000 asylum-seekers were returned to Mexico.

Supporters of the policy argue that asylum seekers released into the U.S. will likely be expelled anyway, but many don't show up for their hearings and instead disappear into the U.S. Opponents of the policy argue that it's inhumane because the Mexican border towns where asylum seekers return to are too dangerous.

Left-rated voices often celebrated the decision as a win for more humane immigration policy. Left-rated news sources also highlighted calls for an end to Title 42, the COVID-19 era public health policy that allows border authorities to expel unauthorized migrants. Right-rated voices typically criticized the decision and argued that it would intensify the already-high number of unauthorized migrants at the southern border. Some reports from right-rated outlets framed the recent migrant tragedy in Texas as evidence of why stricter border regulations are needed.