House Democrats Announce Investigation of Remain-in-Mexico Program

By Preston Huennekens |FAIR Take | January 2020

Eight Democratic members of the House Judiciary Committee sent a letter to acting secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Chad Wolf demanding data and more information on the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP).

MPP, better known as the remain-in-Mexico program, prevents asylum fraud by making asylum-seeking aliens wait in Mexico throughout the duration of their court cases. In fiscal year 2019, immigration courts denied 69 percent of all asylum claims. Hundreds of thousands of aliens arrived at our border in FY 2019 trying to claim asylum. As the data indicates, most of these aliens had no real claim, but were rather economic migrants seeking a better life in the United States.

Customs and Border Protection apprehended almost a million illegal aliens at the southern border in FY 2019. Beginning in June and lasting until September, apprehension numbers plummeted. This is largely because of the successful implementation of the remain-in-Mexico program.

Chairman Jerry Nadler (D-Calif.), Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.), Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), Lou Correa (D-Calif.), Sylvia Garcia (D-Texas), Joe Neguse (D-Colo.), Debbie Murcarsel-Powell (D-Fla.), and Veronica Escobar (D-Texas) wrote that MPP is “inconsistent with DHS statutory authority” and questioning why the Trump administration is “sending children and families to areas where they will face certain harm.” This mirrors concerns they have always had with the program. A number of House Democrats sent a similar letter to DHS in August 2019.

Why do House Democrats really oppose this program? Because it is working. Congress refused to address the humanitarian and security raging at our border. Implementation of MPP brought down southwest border apprehensions – all while Congressional Democrats did nothing. The White House credits MPP with “(bringing) about the downward trend in border enforcement statistics and strengthened the integrity of the immigration system.” The administration further notes that:

MPP allowed for migrants illegally crossing, or at the POEs without documents, to be returned to Mexico to await expedited immigration proceedings in the United States.  If they have meritorious claims, they receive relief in just a few months, rather than waiting in limbo in the United States, sometimes for years.  And if they have unsuccessful claims, they are swiftly returned to their home country, or they can return voluntarily.

The investigation of MPP is another example of the House Democrats using their power to stymie the administration’s efforts to address the southern border crisis. MPP is a powerful tool that reduces the number of fraudulent asylum seekers while speeding up the process for those who genuinely need our protection.