Adrees Latif/Reuters
- The Biden Administration sent a memo to Congress on Tuesday related to the "Remain in Mexico" asylum policy.
- It said that the close to 28,000 asylum seekers who had their cases rejected could have their cases processed.
- In early June, the administration formally ended the 2019 Trump-era policy.
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The Biden administration sent a memo to congressional offices on Tuesday instructing them that migrants who were deported "in absentia," or had asylum cases thrown out due to the Migrant Protection Protocols policy, will have their asylum claims processed, according to Buzzfeed News.
The "Remain in Mexico" policy initiated by the Trump administration in 2019 left tens of thousands of asylum-seekers stranded along the US-Mexico border as the protocols forced them to stay in Mexico as they waited for their US court dates, or had claims rejected.
Many cases were thrown out by immigration judges or migrants were ordered deported in absentia, and those asylum-seekers will have the chance to have their cases heard as well.
At least 11,000 asylum seekers with open cases have been granted asylum under the Biden administration, and close to 28,000 asylum seekers could now have their cases processed, according to the report.
"As part of our continued effort to restore safe, orderly, and humane processing at the Southwest Border, DHS will expand the pool of MPP-enrolled individuals who are eligible for processing into the United States," the notice said. "Beginning June 23, 2021, DHS will include MPP enrollees who had their cases terminated or were ordered removed in absentia (i.e., individuals ordered removed while not present at their hearings)."
In early June, the Biden administration formally ended the "Remain in Mexico," asylum policy.