New York, NY, June 30, 2022 ... ADL (the Anti-Defamation League) today welcomed the Supreme Court’s decision in Biden v. Texas, a 5-4 ruling that the Biden administration properly rescinded the Trump Administration’s Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP).
Informally known as the “Remain in Mexico” policy, under this cruel policy more than 71,000 asylum seekers arriving at the U.S./Mexico border have been forced to return to Mexico to await their U.S. asylum hearing in dangerous conditions. Combined with Title 42, MPP has effectively shut down the border, primarily for Black and Brown people seeking asylum.
“The United States can only fulfill its promise as a beacon for asylum seekers, refugees, and immigrants when our policies actively work to protect all who seek safety here and welcome them with dignity,” said ADL CEO and National Director Jonathan Greenblatt. “Today’s ruling is an important step towards realizing that promise, but much more can and must be done. We urge the Administration and Congress to follow through on this decision and work towards an asylum system that enables people fleeing persecution and oppression to exercise their right to seek freedom, safety, and the opportunity for a better life. This includes ending harmful policies rooted in anti-immigrant prejudice like Title 42, which turns people away at the border under the pretext of public health even as we continue to do away with pandemic restrictions for non-immigrant travel.”
ADL joined 60 other civil rights, immigration advocacy, and service provider organizations in an amicus brief to the Supreme Court led by RAICES and Justice Action Center highlighting the inhumane impacts of this policy. The brief argues that MPP harms children and separates families, enables human trafficking, heightens risks to the most vulnerable migrants, endangers Black migrants, disadvantages Indigenous language speakers, and impedes fair hearings. Throughout, the brief highlights the stories of people who have been affected by MPP and the effects that this policy has had on people at the border.