House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy (CA-23) released the following statement detailing how President Biden is exacerbating his border crisis with the cancelation of Migrant Protection Protocols, also known as the “Remain in Mexico” Policy:
“In just a few short months, President Biden’s actions have created the worst humanitarian, national security, and public health crisis ever seen at our southern border. Now, he is adding fuel to the fire by formally ending the Migrant Protection Protocols. First implemented under the Trump administration, this orderly process worked by requiring migrants to remain in Mexico until their asylum process was complete. If it was determined their asylum request was valid, they would then be allowed into the United States.
“That’s how the system should work: a fair and transparent process carried out in accordance with the law.
“Instead, President Biden removed this proven process to reinstate the failed method of ‘catch and release’ with no accountability or consequences for individuals taking advantage of our system.
“This decision is the latest in a long line of misguided policies from President Biden and the Democrats, and it’s imperative that the Biden Administration immediately reverses this irresponsible decision and reinstates the ‘Remain in Mexico’ policy before the crisis gets even worse.”
In addition to reinstating the “Remain in Mexico” policy, House Republicans have laid out commonsense solutions that would put an end to President Biden’s border crisis:
And President Biden’s point person for the border, Vice President Harris, is not even addressing the crisis. Today marks the 70th day since VP Harris was selected to lead the administration’s efforts at our southern border, but she still has yet to travel there to see the crisis firsthand.
Instead, she has tried to “distance” herself from the situation.
She and the administration have failed to address this crisis despite the fact that border encounters recently hit a 21-year high, and that encounters with individuals from nations other than Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador jumped by 35 percent from March 2021. Alarmingly, their message that the border is open has been heard around the world, with individuals from over 160 countries recently apprehended.
Ending the Remain in Mexico Policy is the latest in a long line of Biden administration decisions that make our country less secure and put the American people at greater risk. We need real leadership to solve this worsening crisis, not a “point person” who refuses to even visit the border. Democrats should join with Republicans in speaking out against these ill-advised policies in favor of commonsense solutions that would put an end to Biden’s Border Crisis.