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WORLD NEWS Tuesday 1 February 2022
Some asylum aspirants pin hopes on Trump-era policy

By MARIA VERZA and ELLIOT early January.
SPAGAT Of 256 asylum-seekers re-
Associated Press turned from El Paso as of
REYNOSA, Mexico (AP) — A Jan. 12, Nicaraguans ac-
revived Trump-era policy to counted for about three
make asylum-seekers wait of every five with Venezu-
in Mexico for hearings in elans and Cubans making
U.S. court is reviled by im- up most of the rest, accord-
migration advocates and ing to Human Rights First, an
repudiated by the Biden advocacy group.
administration, which act- The Biden administration
ed under a judge's order. has declined to say how
Asylum hopeful Alexander many asylum-seekers have
Sánchez of Venezuela has been returned to Mexico
a more favorable view. with court dates in the U.S.
"There is no other way to since the policy resumed
cross legally and, for that and has not provided a
reason, I think it's good," he breakdown by nationality.
said at a migrant shelter in The Homeland Security De-
Reynosa, a Mexican bor- partment said in response
der city where he has been to questions that migrants
living for nine months with can't choose to participate
his wife and their 5-year-old in MPP and that the policy is
daughter. applied to those who can-
Sánchez's optimism reflects not be expelled under pan-
the desperation of migrants demic restrictions. It hasn't
who have seen asylum shut said who those people
down under U.S. restric- are, but Mexico only ac-
tions that deny humanitar- cepts people from Mexico,
ian protections on grounds Guatemala, Honduras and
of preventing spread of Migrants mainly from Honduras and Nicaragua seeking asylum sit in line after turning themselves El Salvador under the U.S.
the coronavirus, another in upon crossing the U.S.-Mexico border, in La Joya, Texas, May 17, 2021. public health order. Others
Trump-era policy that the Associated Press from Western hemisphere
Biden administration sup- countries are released with
ports. and 4-year-old daughter In August, U.S. District ties. orders to appear in court
The U.S. returned its first asy- was better than living at Judge Matthew Kacs- "Their goal is fewer people or detained in the U.S. until
lum-seekers from Browns- home in El Salvador. The maryk, a Trump appointee coming and discouraging they can be flown home,
ville, Texas, starting Jan. optometrist charges 25 in Amarillo, Texas, ordered people but they have to making them prime candi-
25, under its "Migrant Pro- cents to charge migrants' that the policy be reinstat- make clear who can come dates for MPP.
tection Protocols" policy. It phones with a battery he ed "in good faith," subject and who can't," Barberi Migrants keep arriving at
was barely noticed — the purchased with his last sav- to Mexico's acceptance, said. "People need clear di- the Reynosa camp. Ruth
latest step in a slow-moving ings. triggering months of in- rection." Rubio, Marvin López and
rollout across the border Beltrán has been living at tense bilateral talks. Biden Talks to resume MPP began their 6-year-old daughter
to make asylum hearings the camp for four months, has been highly critical of every other week after the fled Honduras after two of
available to migrants who disappointed that U.S. au- the policy, largely because judge's order in August and Rubio's siblings were killed
wait in Mexico. thorities sent him back to it exposes migrants to ex- became more frequent in gang violence. Without
So far, "MPP 2.0" pales com- Mexico under Title 42 au- treme violence while wait- as negotiators tackled a guidance from the U.S.
pared to pandemic-relat- thority without a chance to ing in Mexico. growing number of stick- government, they are wait-
ed restrictions on seeking make his case for asylum. Despite the appearance ing points and logistics and ing indefinitely to find out
asylum at the border. Only He said he paid a smuggler of asylum being virtually as small migrant caravans if there's a way to apply
381 migrants had been re- $4,500 to reach the U.S. banned, U.S. authorities moved through southern for asylum without crossing
turned to Mexico to wait for from Mexico. process about six of every Mexico. the border illegally. Rubio's
hearings from Dec. 6, when "MPP has advantages and 10 people who cross illegal- From the start, Mexico wor- 20-year-old daughter, who
it resumed in El Paso, Texas, disadvantages," Beltrán ly under immigration laws, ried about returning peo- was wounded in Honduras,
through Wednesday, ac- said amid a labyrinth of which include the right to ple with court dates in the was allowed to wait in the
cording to the U.N. migra- tents. "The disadvantage is seek asylum. Nearly all of U.S. to the state of Tamau- U.S. pending an asylum de-
tion agency. that it's dangerous here." them — about 100,000 in lipas, considered the bor- cision.
U.S. authorities expelled mi- Their hopes may be mis- December alone — are re- der's most dangerous area. They are interested in the
grants more than 1.5 million placed. Less than 1% leased or detained in the It lies across from Texas' Rio reinstated policy to wait in
times without an opportu- of claims were granted U.S. while judges consider Grande Valley, the busiest Mexico for court hearings
nity to claim asylum since among more than 70,000 their cases. The adminis- corridor for illegal crossings. in the U.S. It is expected to
March 2020 under the pan- people in MPP from its tration has not said why The Biden administration expand soon to the Texas
demic restrictions known as launch in January 2019 to so many can seek asylum started "MPP 2.0" in El Paso border cities of Laredo and
Title 42 authority, named when President Joe Biden while remaining in the U.S. with plans to process 30 Eagle Pass.
for a 1944 public health suspended it on his first day — and so many can't. to 50 people a day there, "If it's the only way (to get
law. In December alone, in office a year ago, ac- More clarity about U.S. poli- according to a U.S. official asylum in the U.S.), it's wel-
they were expelled nearly cording to Syracuse Univer- cies is needed, said Abra- who was not authorized to come," said Juan Antonio
80,000 times. sity's Transactional Records ham Barberi, founder of the discuss the matter publicly Sierra of the Pastoral for
Walter Alexis Beltrán said Access Clearinghouse. Dulce Refugio de Matam- and spoke on condition Human Mobility in Matam-
staying at a camp of some About half were pending oros migrant shelter east of of anonymity. They fell far oros, a migrant aid group
2,000 migrants in Reynosa's and the rest denied or dis- Reynosa, who is in regular short, even after extending affiliated with the Catholic
central plaza with his wife missed. contact with U.S. authori- the policy to San Diego in Church.q