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The Remain in Mexico program will apply to migrants whom the United States is unable to expel under a public health rule it put in place at the beginning of the pandemic.
Ending the program was an early goal for President Biden as he sought to rebuild an asylum system that had largely been dismantled under Mr. Trump. Its resumption creates the challenge of securing cooperation from legal advocates and humanitarian groups, many of whom have already said they would not participate because of ongoing opposition to Mr. Biden’s immigration policies. The Trump administration relied heavily on these groups to assist migrants waiting in Mexico.
Republicans credit the program with curbing illegal migration under Mr. Trump, but critics say it forced migrants to stay in unsanitary tent encampments where they faced sexual assault, kidnapping, torture and harsh weather.
The administration hopes that the groups will change their minds or that new organizations will step in to help, according to an official who spoke on condition of anonymity in order to discuss internal deliberations.
Other changes to the program include limiting immigration proceedings to six months per asylum applicant. During the Trump administration, Remain in Mexico cases sometimes dragged on for years. There are more than 25,000 asylum claims pending from people affected by the program, according to data from the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse at Syracuse University. Of the cases completed to date, only 1.6 percent of the applicants were granted asylum.
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