The "Remain in Mexico" Policy is Failing Asylum Seekers at the Southern US Border

In late January, the Trump administration began a pilot program on the border between Tijuana and San Diego in which migrants who claim asylum are sent back to wait in Mexico as their asylum claims are processed. This is known formally as the Migrant Protection Protocols and informally as the "Remain in Mexico" policy.

The result has been to turn back individuals, mostly migrants from central America, before they can even present claims of asylum; and even if they are able to make a formal claim, they must wait in Mexico as their case proceeds through the US court system.

Needless to say, this is almost certainly in contravention of US law regarding asylum. A lawsuit challenging this policy involving the American Civil Liberties Union is due to be heard in a few weeks.

In the meantime, the remain in Mexico policy is causing profound harm for asylum seekers. My guest today, Kerri Kennedy recently returned from a fact finding trip to Tijuana in which she interviewed people turned away at t…