California Court Rules Against Remain in Mexico Policy

At the end of last month, a federal appeals court in California ruled to block President Trump’s “Remain in Mexico” policy. The policy, also known as the Migrant Protection Protocol (MPP), requires asylum seekers who have arrived in the U.S. by way of Mexico to return to the latter country to await determination of their cases. The Trump administration has relied heavily on the policy to curb Central American asylum in the U.S. since last year.

Immigrants’ rights advocates say that the MPP hasn’t done anything to protect migrants at all. On the contrary, they argue, it has subjected tens of thousands of asylum seekers to further persecution as they await legal entry into the U.S. in dangerous and overcrowded border towns. This state of limbo is particularly dangerous for LGBTQ+ asylum seekers who either don’t have access to the services they need in their temporary places of residence or hesitate to seek identity-affirming support for fear of drawing unwanted attention.

Only hours after the California court’s initial ruling against MPP, judges granted the Trump administration an emergency stay, halting the implementation of the ruling until further notice. It remains to be determined whether the case will be brought before a higher court in the coming weeks.