Politics

REPORT: Biden Might Keep ‘More Humane’ Version Of Trump Immigration Policy

TOPSHOT - A US Border Patrol agent processes a group of migrants in Sunland Park, New Mexico on July 22, 2021. - Many advocates from national organizations urge President Biden to end Title 42 expulsions, a public health order issued in March 2020 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to prevent the cross-border spread of Covid-19 resulting of hundreds of thousands of migrants expelled within hours of detention and therefore deny the opportunity to state their case for staying in the country. (Photo by PAUL RATJE / AFP) (Photo by PAUL RATJE/AFP via Getty Images)

Photo by PAUL RATJE/AFP via Getty Images

Shelby Talcott Senior White House Correspondent
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President Joe Biden is reportedly considering revamping former President Donald Trump’s “Remain in Mexico” policy into “a more humane version,” multiple people familiar with the discussions told Politico.

Biden has tried to end Trump’s “Remain in Mexico” policy – otherwise known as the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP). On Aug. 24, the Supreme Court denied a request from the administration to temporarily block an earlier order to reinstate the policy.

As the fight to end the policy drags on, the administration is reportedly considering what’s been declared by some as the “Remain in Mexico lite” option, according to Politico. With this proposal, some asylum seekers would need to remain in Mexico as cases are processed, but they’d be living in better conditions and have access to attorneys, three people familiar with the discussions told Politico. (RELATED: Here’s What Migrants Say About Why They’re Coming To The US Now)

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) appealed the Supreme Court’s recent ruling soon afterwards. In the meantime, it “will comply with the order in good faith,” the agency said in a statement following the ruling. The administration previously ended the policy on June 1, Roll Call noted.

Asylum seekers wait outside El Chaparral crossing port as they try to cross to the United States in Tijuana, Baja California state, Mexico on February 19, 2021. - Hundreds of asylum-seekers were waiting nervously on the US-Mexican border Friday, praying that they would be allowed entry as part of President Joe Biden's immigration reforms. (Photo by Guillermo Arias / AFP) (Photo by GUILLERMO ARIAS/AFP via Getty Images)

Asylum seekers wait outside El Chaparral crossing port as they try to cross to the United States in Tijuana, Baja California state, Mexico on February 19, 2021. (Photo by Guillermo Arias / AFP) (Photo by GUILLERMO ARIAS/AFP via Getty Images)

Immigration has been one of the big topics of Biden’s presidency, and the administration has struggled amid a surge at the border. At the southern border, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents have been so overwhelmed that they’re having problems verifying whether those crossing are minors or adults, agents told the Daily Caller News Foundation in August.

Officials at the border reported encountering over 212,000 migrants in July, according to CBP data. This number includes a record 18,960 unaccompanied minors.

Despite the border crisis, activists are frustrated at news that the Biden administration may be considering any sort of version of the “Remain in Mexico” policy, Politico reported.

“One of his campaign promises was to end MPP. He did that. He should stand by that,” Marielena Hincapié, executive director of National Immigration Law Center, told Politico. “The answer is not to simply find a gentler, kinder MPP 2.0. That completely flies in the face of his promise.”

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Daily Caller.