As the Biden administration has been anticipating a large-scale surge in illegal immigration along the US border, a Texas judge has ruled the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP) (AKA “remain in Mexico program”) will remain in place.
The ruling is seen as a defeat for the former Vice President since the MPP was established under the Trump administration as a way to effectively respond to large surges in illegal immigration.
Biden’s administration, led by Department of Homeland Security Chief Alejandro Mayorkas, has been actively trying to rescind the program. Their effort eventually found its way to the Supreme Court in June of this year. The 5-4 ruling handed down affirmed the Biden Administration was within its right to attempt to put an end to the program that supports US border integrity. However, the nation’s highest court returned the case to District Courts to determine if the action was “arbitrary and capricious,” specifically in relation to the Administration Procedure Act.
Ruling on the issue was US District Judge Matthew Kaxcmaryk. On Thursday, he highlighted how Mayorkas’ attempt to remove the Trump-era policy “does not address the issue.” The Judge went into further detail to highlight how attempting to remove restrictions on immigration could result in higher levels of crime, including human trafficking. Kascmaryk said, “Defendants fail to consider MPP’s impact on human trafficking.” He also went on to note how greater levels of immigration would negatively impact local and state governments. He said, “Plaintiffs, particularly the state of Texas, shoulder much of the burden of unlawful immigration.”
The Judge continued blasting Biden Administration’s proposed steps to remove MPP, describing how their approach was not well planned or thought-out within the context of US border security.
He said, “By terminating MPP without adequately considering the reliance of States in the control of the flow of aliens (as assisted by MPP). Defendants do not appear to have tied their approach, ‘even if loosely, to the purposes of the immigration laws or the appropriate operation of the immigration system.’”
