Washington, DC—Kids in Need of Defense (KIND) welcomes today’s Supreme Court ruling to allow the Biden Administration to end the life-endangering Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP), also known as “Remain in Mexico.” The policy started by the previous Administration has resulted in the return of more than 70,000 people, including children and families, to dangerous conditions in Mexico to await their immigration proceedings in the United States.
“Today’s ruling affirms the Biden Administration’s authority to terminate the dangerous MPP policy and end the needless suffering and death stemming from it,” said KIND President Wendy Young. “Families and children should be safe while they exercise their right to seek protection in the United States, a fundamental part of the U.S. immigration system and of our commitment to help the most vulnerable. The Administration should act immediately to restore protections eroded by MPP.”
More than 1,500 migrants have been raped, kidnapped, or killed as a result of MPP. Children with whom KIND has worked have lost parents and caregivers while waiting in Mexico, including one child whose mother never returned after attempting to report their kidnapping and assault to Mexican police. Families in MPP have been easy prey for cartels, human traffickers, and other criminal groups that take advantage of their extreme vulnerability and near complete lack of protection. KIND documented these harms in a 2020 report, Forced Apart: How the “Remain in Mexico” Policy Places Children in Danger and Separates Families.
“The end of MPP would mark another step toward a more humane, fair, and compassionate immigration system, and away from cruel policies that produced vast, needless suffering,” added Young. “The relief this ruling will give families seeking protection is profound, and as a nation, we should rejoice that in this instance our nation’s highest court affirms the Administration’s decision to end this cruel policy and uphold our deepest values.”
###
Media Contact: Megan McKenna, mmckenna@supportkind.org, 202-631-9990