The controversial “Stay in Mexico” comes to an end: What will happen now with the migrants who hope to cross into the US?

Last Tuesday the Mexican Government announced the end of the controversial program “stay in mexico”, an initiative that emerged in 2019 during the mandate of donald trump ordering migrants to wait in Mexican territory for the resolution of their paperwork in order to enter USA.

LOOK: Mexican government ends the “Stay in Mexico” program for migrants

The main criticisms against this program revolved around the fact that it had been produced unilaterally (from Washington) and did not contemplate important logistical aspects such as the condition of the shelters that would house the migrants and asylum seekers.

According to the International Rescue Committee (IRC), “Stay in Mexico” impacted more than 75,000 migrants, “violating the right of people to seek asylum”.

On August 8, the United States Government put an end to the controversial Migrant Protection Program (MPP, as it is known in the US) after a legal battle between the Biden Administration and a federal judge that lasted 16 months and had to be resolved by a verdict of the Supreme Court.

Now, with the announcement issued last week by the Foreign Ministry of Mexico (SRE), the program has officially come to an end from both sides of the border.

However, with this decision, many migrants and asylum seekers have been left in limbo due to the uncertainty of what their destination will be.

According to the International Rescue Committee, “Stay in Mexico” impacted more than 75,000 migrants, “violating the right of people to seek asylum.” (JOSE LUIS GONZALEZ / REUTERS /)

WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO THE MIGRANTS?

Since Mexico The announcement is that the migrants who were still following the process when the end of the program was announced will be guaranteed “their adequate stay and protection” until the end of the process.

A situation that is certainly complicated if we review the report issued in mid-July by the International Organization for Migration (IOM), which at that time notified the SRE about “the lack of space in the shelters in Tijuana, Baja California, to process more cases under the aforementioned program”.

On the other hand, it should be remembered that the responsibility for welcoming and caring for migrants in border cities fell mainly to humanitarian and religious organizations from the beginning of the program.

From the US side, the secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Alejandro Mayorkas, assured that migrants still registered in “Stay in Mexico” will be disaffiliated when they return to Mexico. USA to attend your appointment scheduled by the immigration court.

“People disaffiliated from the MPP will continue with their deportation procedures in the United States“, accurate.

“When the program is canceled, the migrants who wait will be able to go to the US, but by trickle. Some will continue to wait, even in detention centers, but at least they will be given refuge in the US, as international law dictates.”, Eunice Rendón, coordinator of the Mexican NGO Agenda Migrante and international consultant on Security and Migration, explained to the German media DW.

A FAILED PROGRAM

The Mexican departure from the controversial program occurs three years and nine months after it began.

During the first 24 months of operation, 40,000 applicants were rejected due to errors or mistakes in the system, according to defense organizations cited by Univision.

According to Syracuse University’s Transactional Records Access and Information Center (TRAC), 71,076 asylum seekers in the United States were returned to Mexico during the first two years of the program.

According to Univision, the main mistakes applicants suffered from were:

Source: Elcomercio