Five asylum seekers were released from the “Remain in Mexico” policy

The immigration policy “Remain in Mexico” refers to a government order implemented since January 2019 by President Donald Trump.

This policy requires applicants for political asylum to remain in Mexico while receiving a response to their immigration requests.

However, since the massive outbreak of Coronavirus in the US, this policy represents a giant threat to immigrants for multiple reasons:

• Immigrants live in overcrowded temporary shelters, which can lead to a massive spread.
• They live in tents, do not have food or water and survive on donations from different communities.
• There are no health personnel or access to medical supplies.
• In these temporary shelters, there are no hygiene protocols or bathrooms in good condition.
• All face-to-face hearings have been rescheduled as the offices of the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) are closed due to the global pandemic.

That means that asylum seekers must wait even longer than normal at Mexico’s borders.

In addition to that, while the US faces the health crisis, the borders remain closed and there are no entry permits for any immigrant.

This policy is a threat to the Mexican territory as well:

• Central America does not have an infrastructure strong enough to mitigate a massive spread of the virus.
• There are not enough medical personnel to assist immigrants at the borders.
• Mexico, like many Central American countries, has enough medical supplies to assist the local population, not immigrants at the borders.

This caused thousands of immigrant rights advocates to ask the current government about immigrants held in Mexico during the pandemic.

The constant concern of these temporary shelters becoming hotbeds of the virus led a judge to order the entry of 5 asylum seekers into the US last Thursday.

What are the Judge’s arguments for this decision?A

The federal judge from Boston ruled in favor of 5 immigrants, arguing that they can wait inside the US with their families while waiting for a response to their immigration cases.

The five immigrants are:

• Two minors.
• Three women.
• Four of them from Guatemala.
• One from El Salvador.

The judge argued that these immigrants were living in dangerous conditions and found that they were being persecuted by Mexican gangs.

Therefore, the judge declared that immigrants apply for asylum to flee the danger of their own countries and they should not remain in Mexico facing constant violence and even more danger.

They were able to reunite with their families in Massachusetts while USCIS provides an official response to their asylum requests.

Immigrants will be periodically monitored by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Service (ICE), which is the border force in charge of monitoring undocumented immigrants inside the US.

Excellent news!

This news gives hope to millions of families who patiently wait for a response or help from the US government and USCIS at the borders of Mexico.

The face-to-face hearings have been abruptly postponed, but there are still multiple methods to apply for legal residence in the US.

It is important to understand that we are all going through a monumental crisis due to the global Coronavirus pandemic.

Therefore, you must organize your case properly and it is imperative that any immigration request is solid enough to be successful.

If you have any questions about an immigration issue or relating to a case you may have currently in progress, then please don’t hesitate to contact us for a FREE Phone Consultation with one of our expert immigration attorneys.

Simply call Motion Law today at: (202) 918-1799.