Menendez Statement on Supreme Court’s Decision on Remain in Mexico Policy

JERSEY CITY, N.J.- U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.)issued the following statement in response to today's Supreme Court decision on the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP), commonly referred toas 'Remain in Mexico':

"The Remain in Mexico policy is one of the most destructive and inhumane vestiges of Donald Trump's anti-immigrant legacy. MPP was designed by the Trump Administration to deter asylum seekers from Latin America and the Caribbean from entering the United States via the southwest border. Tens of thousands of migrants from the region have been needlessly exposed to kidnappings, extortion, trafficking, and rape in dangerous communities in Mexico while waiting for their immigration claims to be adjudicated in the United States. The program both penalizes and discriminates against asylum seekers from the Americas region in particular, and like Title 42, ultimately led to more chaos at our southwest border. While we cannot erase the human suffering this policy has already inflicted on vulnerable migrants, today's decision is a step towards justice.

"I'm glad the Supreme Court is paving the way for the United States to finally revoke this xenophobic policy. With today's decision, we must commit ourselves to doing the difficult work ahead to meet our domestic and international legal obligations with respect to asylum seekers and to repair our longstanding status as a beacon of hope and opportunity for those fleeing from violence and persecution. Ensuring a final end to Title 42 is critical to meeting those obligations, and I will continue to call on all Democrats to stand united against a failed policy that erodes our border security by incentivizing human smugglers. May this decision be the first step towards ending our federal government's use of short-term deterrence strategies that rely on cruelty to keep asylum seekers out of the United States. I stand ready to work with the Biden Administration to find humane solutions to our regional migration challenges and to put an end to MPP and Title 42 once and for all."

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