US formally ends policy for asylum-seekers to wait in Mexico

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration has formally ended a Trump-era immigration policy that forced asylum-seekers to wait in Mexico for hearings in U.S. immigration court.

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas’ announcement ends “Migrant Protection Protocols,” which returned about 70,000 asylum-seekers to Mexico from January 2019 until it was halted on President Joe Biden’s first day in office two years later.

It appeared to be a foregone conclusion after Biden promised as a candidate to end the policy, but the president left a small window open by ordering a formal review.