US: Biden administration appeals Supreme Court to hear case on 'Remain in Mexico' policy

In a bid to terminate the controversial 'Remain in Mexico' policy, US President Joe Biden administration on Wednesday urged the Supreme Court to consider hearing on the programme. The appeal comes after a federal court, earlier in December, reinstated the Trump-era policy, formally known as Migrant Protection Protocol (MPP). The policy was implemented in San Diego, towns of Laredo, Brownsville and El Paso in the Texas state.

The Lower Court ordered re-imposition of the policy after the Biden administration failed to follow rudimentary rule-making protocols deemed mandatory for scrapping the programme. Earlier in August, the apex US court had ruled against suspending the policy amid an ongoing litigation hearing, The Wall Street Journal reported. Biden government had "failed to show a likelihood of success on the claim that the memorandum rescinding the Migrant Protection Protocols was not arbitrary and capricious," the order said, as quoted by the WSJ. To this, the US government responded accusing the Lower Court of "overstepping boundaries" by intruding into the executive branch's discretionary powers regarding the immigration policy.

As per US media reports, more than 1.7 million migrants were stopped in southern US-Mexico borders in the last fiscal year. The count exceeded a cumulative 2 years total in October this year. As per 12 News reports, citing officials, there were more than 1,64,000 thwarted crossings, a number increased by "128%" from October 2020. It is to mention that host of migrants include people from South American, Asian and Middle Eastern countries including Argentina, Brazil, Cuba, Haiti, Guatemala, Lebanon, Mexico, Nepal Tajikistan, Russia and India who have amassed along the Arizona and Texas border.

The 'Remain in Mexico Policy'

The 'Remain in Mexico' immigration policy was formulated by ex-US President Donald Trump's administration. Under the policy, asylum-seekers were ordered to stay in Mexico while they wait for confirmation on their immigration status. The policy was suspended for the first few months after Biden came into power and was later temporarily terminated. "MPP has been rescinded for 2.5 months and suspended for 8 months and largely dormant for nearly 16 months," the Biden administration had said after a petition was filed against the "arbitrary" and "capricious" policy. Nevertheless, it has currently been revived after the defendants failed to provide ample justifying arguments supporting the ban of the policy.

Image: AP