Biden Administration to roll back Trump immigration policies
US President Joe Biden will today issue new executive orders restoring protections for asylum seekers.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced it would end all enrollments in the Migrant Protection Protocols. The Trump-era program, which requires refugees to await their asylum hearings in Mexico, has stranded 65,000 migrants on Mexico’s border and created a perverse Kafkaesque humanitarian crisis.
Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (AMLO) has welcomed the reforms. In their first conversation, Biden and AMLO agreed to strengthen bilateral collaboration, breaking from former president Donald Trump’s antagonist approach to the bilateral relationship. Historically, Mexico has tended to be significantly influenced by US directives and policies on migration.
Biden’s administration will continue to reorient US policy to be more favourable towards immigrants and refugees. Thus far, Biden’s plan includes addressing the root causes for immigration in the Northern Triangle with a $4 billion project. Expect continuity with the Obama administration as Biden seeks to reestablish strong ties with Mexico City. AMLO will likely welcome this policy shift and guide his policy to intersect Biden’s, including creating a pathway to dual citizenship for Mexicans working in the US and financing for Mexican programs like COMAR. As such, Mexico’s policy will shift from enforcement to protection.
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