Washington, DC – Following today’s U.S. District Court ruling that blocks the Biden Administration from ending the life-endangering Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP), also known as “Remain in Mexico” program, Kids in Need of Defense (KIND) President Wendy Young issued the following statement:
“Today’s ruling is a deeply disappointing setback in the journey to undo the harm caused by this dangerous and irrevocably flawed policy. 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. This policy and other extreme approaches that block access to protection have repeatedly failed and put families and children in harm’s way. The Administration should continue its legal fight to dismantle MPP and immediately restore the protections it erodes.”
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.
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Media Contact: Megan McKenna, mmckenna@supportkind.org, 202-631-9990