Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas blamed President Joe Biden’s scrapping of the “Remain In Mexico” policy for the newly released May migrant apprehension numbers.
The Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced Wednesday that a record high number of over 180,000 migrants were apprehended at the U.S.-Mexican border in May, in comparison to the 178,000 seeking entry into the U.S. in April. Cruz said the increase in migrant apprehension is a result of the Biden administration’s termination of the Trump-era Remain in Mexico policy.
“The border has been a catastrophe since Biden ripped up the Remain in Mexico agreement,” the Texas senator tweeted Wednesday. Cruz listed the ongoing surge in migrant apprehension and exemplified the worsening crisis.
“The #BidenBorderCrisis is getting worse: Feb: 101,120 apprehensions, March: 173,348 apprehensions, April: 178,622 apprehensions. Latest illegal alien apprehension numbers from May: 180,034,” he tweeted.
The #BidenBorderCrisis is getting worse:
Feb: 101,120 apprehensions
March: 173,348 apprehensions
April: 178,622 apprehensions
Latest illegal alien apprehension numbers from May: 180,034
The border has been a catastrophe since Biden ripped up the Remain in Mexico agreement.
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) June 9, 2021
The Trump administration tackled a migrant crisis apprehending more than 4,800 illegal aliens on a daily basis which led to the implementation of the Remain In Mexico policy, also known as the Migrant Protection Protocol (MPP), in January 2019 which required migrants to wait in Mexico as they waited for their immigration hearings, according to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
The policy resulted in roughly 60,000 asylum seekers being denied entry across the border which required them to remain in Mexico while awaiting their immigration hearings, NPR reported. (RELATED: Texas, Missouri Sue Biden Administration Over Policies Allowing Immigrants To Stay In The U.S.)
In January 2021, the Biden administration ended the MPP which allows migrants to remain in the U.S. as they await their immigration trial and formally terminated the policy on June 1. DHS secretary Alejandro Mayorkas decided that the policy should end due to several migrants being unable to attend their court hearings in the U.S. due to unsafe conditions and a lack of resources in Mexico.
In February, 25 asylum seekers were granted entry into the U.S. as the DHS began its efforts to process the 25,000 migrants impacted by the Trump-era policy.
Texas and Missouri sued the Biden administration in April for halting the MPP with claims that tens of thousands of migrants have been released into the U.S. At the end of April, over 8,000 migrants previously forced to remain in Mexico under the MPP were granted access into the U.S., according to Border Report.
