Haitian migrants who are hoping to apply for asylum in the US wait to register their names on a list made by a religious organization in Reynosa, Mexico, December 21, 2022, on the other side of the border with McAllen, Texas. PHOTO AP MEXICO CITY - The Mexican government said on Monday it had informed the United States that it opposes a possible US re-implementation of an immigration policy known as Remain in Mexico, which required asylum seekers to wait for hearings in Mexico.
In December, a US judge paused President Joe Biden's attempt to end the program. The ministry said that the program would start up again and that the US authorities told Mexico's foreign ministry that it would start again.
Mexico's decision leaves the future of the program unclear.
Biden had tried to end the Trump-era program, known as the Migrant Protection Protocols MPP, when he entered office. Texas and Missouri, which are Republican-led states, have filed a lawsuit to keep the program active.
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A federal court order forced the Biden administration to restart MPP in late 2021, which Mexico agreed to on several conditions, including expanding health policies and collaboration with international groups, the foreign ministry said.
There were some 74,000 migrants who came through Mexico during Trump's administration, according to the program. Under Biden, only 7,500 entered Mexico through the MPP.
On Monday, Mexico said that it supported the US immigration program to allow some populations, such as Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans, to enter the United States through an appointment system.
Human rights organizations have pushed for other nationalities to be included in the new program.