June, 23 2021, 04:11pm EDT

Biden Expands Plan to Bring Back Asylum Seekers Forced to Wait in Dangerous Border Towns Under Trump's Remain In Mexico Policy
This week, the Biden administration announced that it would take steps to allow additional asylum seekers to come back to the U.S. to safety after they were subjected to the Trump administration's Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP). This decision will help thousands of immigrants who were forced to remain in Mexico while waiting for their U.S. asylum cases to be heard.
WASHINGTON
This week, the Biden administration announced that it would take steps to allow additional asylum seekers to come back to the U.S. to safety after they were subjected to the Trump administration's Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP). This decision will help thousands of immigrants who were forced to remain in Mexico while waiting for their U.S. asylum cases to be heard.
Members of the Welcome With Dignity Campaign applaud this step to unwind the Trump administration's 'Remain in Mexico' policy but are advocating for the Biden administration to swiftly end other cruel policies of the former administration, including mass expulsions of asylum seekers to danger under Title 42.
"This is an important step in addressing the harms of this unlawful policy that deprived tens of thousands of people an opportunity to seek safety,'' said Denise Bell, Researcher for Refugee and Migrant Rights at Amnesty International USA. "We urge the administration to continue to restore access to asylum at the border by rescinding the public health quarantine under Title 42, which is not grounded in science, unlawful, and endangers people seeking safety, just as the Migrant Protection Protocols did, by sending them back into harm's way."
"This is an important step by the Biden administration to provide access to asylum for MPP victims who were unable to attend hearings in this flawed process, in many cases due to acute dangers, kidnappings or other impediments," said Eleanor Acer, Senior Director of Refugee Protection at Human Rights First. "The administration must also quickly move ahead to provide access to safety for MPP victims who were denied asylum under this rigged program. MPP proceedings were plagued by due process violations, barriers to legal representation and wrongful denials due to now rescinded Trump administration policies."
"At issue is our collective humanity as a nation and whether we are going to do right by the children and families the Trump administration has wronged. Providing asylum for MPP victims denied justice at our border is a step in the right direction," said Paola Luisi, Director of Families Belong Together. "But, we cannot stop here. We need the Biden administration to move forward with ending Title 42 - a racist, dangerous, and cruel Trump-era policy - which has been weaponized to send people seeking safety back to danger. We urge the Biden administration to end Title 42 for all and restore asylum fully to create an immigration system that welcomes people with dignity and respect."
"Allowing those subject to the unlawful and cruel MPP program to have a second chance at seeking asylum, especially if they never got their first chance because they were in a kidnapper's den, is the right thing to do," said Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, Policy Counsel at the American Immigration Council. "Fixing the previous administration's cruelty at the border means more than just rolling back anti-asylum policies, it also requires giving people a second chance."
"We welcome the decision by the Biden-Harris administration to do the right thing and provide access for the men, women and children who were previously denied access by the cruel and racist Trump's MPP policy," said Guerline Jozef, Executive Director of the Haitian Bridge Alliance. "We also urge the Administration to immediately end the use of Title 42, a draconian rule and a death trap for asylum seekers fleeing extreme danger. Furthermore we urge the Administration to provide protection for extremely vulnerable black asylum seekers and others not in MPP who have been waiting at the U.S-Mexico border and welcome all people with dignity"
"On asylum, it is so important that we get it right because asylum can be a matter of life and death," said Douglas Rivlin, Director of Communication for America's Voice. "While not everyone will or should be granted asylum, every asylum seeker should have a full and fair opportunity to make their case. MPP - or Remain in Mexico - was designed to ensure that people could not have access to a fair hearing and was the essential component of Stephen Miller's plan to gut asylum. As he infamously stated in 2019, 'My mantra has persistently been presenting aliens with multiple unsolvable dilemmas to impact their calculus for choosing to make the arduous journey to begin with.' Yet clearly, no matter how cruel or draconian the strategy, deterrence did not work."
"So many asylum seekers in the Remain in Mexico program who have been waiting in danger for a true chance to seek protection will finally get to do so," said Yael Schacher, Senior U.S. Advocate at Refugees International. "We urge the administration to ensure that those who register are allowed to enter the United States and have support pursuing their cases. The administration must also create pathways to protection for others denied due process in the MPP program and must stop expelling asylum seekers via Title 42 to the very same dangers those in MPP faced. This is a great step towards restoring welcome at the border and Refugees International calls on the administration to continue building a better asylum system."
"This move marks important progress towards rebuilding our asylum system and redressing the profound harm caused by MPP. This Trump-era program was a human rights and due process disaster, and it flew in the face of our legal and moral obligations to refugees," said Karen Musalo, Director of the Center for Gender & Refugee Studies (CGRS). "In the legal challenges CGRS brought against MPP, multiple federal courts ruled the policy unlawful. All who suffered under this cruel and illegal policy should have a fair chance to seek refuge in the United States."
"For over two years our clients have been trapped in limbo holding on to hope that this day would come. These clients have faced incredible obstacles, including surviving a pandemic and on-going threats to their safety while in Mexico. Finally welcoming asylum seekers who were in the Remain in Mexico program into the U.S. while they continue their cases will save lives," said Joyce Noche, Director of Legal Services at Immigrant Defenders Law Center. "We call for due process to be restored for individuals and families whose cases were fast tracked through a system designed for them to fail, whose cases were kidnapped or sick, and unaccompanied kids previously in MPP who still face deportation because of this cruel program. Additionally, we urge the Biden administration to continue the momentum of restoring the asylum system by ending the implementation of Title 42 in order to truly welcome asylum seekers and refugees with dignity."
"We are relieved and very thankful that the Biden Administration continues to take important steps towards processing more people and families into the U.S. who have been inhumanely trapped in MPP. The U.S. must never forget the horrors done in its name through the Trump Administration's Remain in Mexico policy, and today is a stride to heal the injustices it caused to more than 70,000 people and their families," said Todd Schulte, President and Executive Director of FWD.us. "The notice to Congress finally gives an estimated 34,000 more people seeking asylum and children fleeing violence and persecution the opportunity to access legal humanitarian relief from within the U.S., leaving behind the horrors of conflict, natural disasters and famine. Efforts to protect the populations most harmed by the Trump Administration's immigration policies should not be confined to those impacted by MPP. If the Biden Administration wants to remain true to their promise of building a safe, orderly, and humane asylum system for all who are impacted, it must urgently end Title 42. The impacts of Title 42 amount to the same harm and lack of access to justice as MPP, and both have acutely impacted Black people seeking asylum from Haiti, Brazil, and elsewhere."
"This is an important step toward welcoming more people and families into the United States who have been inhumanely and immorally trapped by MPP," said Meredith Owen, Director of Policy and Advocacy for Church World Service. "We commend the Biden administration for moving into the next phase in winding down the unlawful Remain in Mexico policy and giving approximately 34,000 more asylum seekers a chance to reach safety. As we confront the worst displacement crisis on record with more than 82 million people forced from their homes worldwide, the United States has a moral and legal obligation to redress the harm caused by anti-asylum policies. We call on the administration to significantly expand eligibility for everyone impacted by MPP--including those who crossed into the United States in-between ports of entry-- to provide a remedy for all asylum seekers, unaccompanied children, and immigrants impacted by MPP, and to urgently terminate Title 42 expulsions to prevent the fatal consequences of returning people to harm. We are ready to work with the administration and our member communities to serve asylum seekers and immigrants in need of humanitarian assistance."
"MPP was a shameful, inhumane, and unlawful policy that created a process so stacked against asylum seekers that the only fair way for the Biden administration to unwind it is to give everyone subjected to it a fair opportunity to pursue their claims safely from within the United States," said Ursela Ojeda, policy advisor for the Migrant Rights and Justice Program at the Women's Refugee Commission. "We welcome today's announcement to wind down MPP. We call on the Biden administration to continue expanding access to protection and ensure that every last person subjected to MPP is afforded an opportunity to enter the United States and safely apply for asylum. We further call on the administration to stop blocking and expelling people seeking protection at the border under the false pretense of protecting public health and immediately and fully restore access to asylum."
"We are thrilled by the news that the Biden administration is expanding eligibility for more than 30,000 families and individuals who were previously forced to wait in dangerous Mexican cities under the unconscionable Trump-era "Remain in Mexico" policy," said Santiago Mueckay, Manager Federal Government Relations, Save the Children Action Network. "This is an important step in the fight for justice. The administration must now focus on rescinding inhumane and unnecessary pandemic-related border restrictions, ensuring everyone has the ability to seek asylum in the US. We look forward to continuing to work with the Biden administration and relevant international aid agencies to ensure this is a smooth process during which the rights of children and families are protected."
"This is big news for the immigrants forced to live a life of fear and uncertainty as they navigate complicated U.S. asylum policies. The previous U.S. administration tried to block asylum cases with various hardline policies, and it didn't work - it also made the lives of these vulnerable immigrants seeking safety at our border worse," said Basma Alawee, We Are All America campaign manager. "This new decision is a sign that the Biden administration is more willing to base U.S. asylum policies in compassion and reality, and this change will make a difference in the lives of the many immigrants unfairly forced from attending the hearings that could decide their fate in this country. This is a welcome move, and we hope it is the first in many changes to U.S. immigration policies to come."
"Righting the terribly wrong asylum and immigration policies the Trump administration imposed is a high priority for America's moms," said Donna Norton, Executive Vice President of MomsRising. "We applaud the Biden-Harris administration's decision to give migrants who were detained and endangered in Mexico a fair day in court. But more is needed. We also need to end Title 42 and reconsider all asylum cases that were unfairly denied. America's moms want every asylum-seeker and every immigrant to be treated with compassion, dignity and respect."
"Despite its Orwellian name, this policy's purpose was never to protect migrants. It was to deport everyone, regardless of whether they qualified for protection under asylum law," said Stephen Manning, Executive Director of Innovation Law Lab. "Remain in Mexico was very effective at undermining due process, depriving asylum seekers of access to basic human needs, and confining people to extreme danger zones, where many were kidnapped, tortured, and even murdered. Phase II processing is a step in the right direction, but the government has still failed to provide justice for the over 71,000 individuals subjected to the policy."
"This is a positive step towards bringing justice to the tens of thousands who were wrongly denied access to asylum. Asylum seekers who weren't able to be present for their hearings because they were forced to wait in danger in Mexico-- or worse, returned to the same dangers they were fleeing--deserve another chance to make their claim," said Daniella Burgi-Palomino, Co-director of the Latin America Working Group. "We urge the Biden administration to work closely with civil society organizations on both sides of the border to make sure people in Mexico and in their home countries wrongly denied their rights have the information necessary to pursue their claims. The White House should also end the harmful Title 42 policy to ensure access to asylum is restored at our border and that we truly welcome those fleeing for their lives."
Amnesty International is a global movement of millions of people demanding human rights for all people - no matter who they are or where they are. We are the world's largest grassroots human rights organization.
(212) 807-8400LATEST NEWS
Mike Lee Tries to Sneak Public Land Sale Back Into 'Big, Ugly Bill' Ahead of Senate Vote
"Republicans are STILL trying to sell off public lands in their budget bill," said Sen. Ron Wyden. "If you care about keeping your public lands please make your voice heard."
Jun 28, 2025
Ahead of a vote on Republicans' budget reconciliation package expected as soon as noon Saturday, U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources Chair Mike Lee revived his effort to sell off public lands.
Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough has blocked multiple provisions of the GOP megabill, including several under the jurisdiction of the Utah Republican's panel. Among them is his attack on public lands.
"Here we go again," Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) said on social media after Lee released new text for his committee late Friday.
"Republicans are STILL trying to sell off public lands in their budget bill," Wyden continued. "Republicans are trying to get this over the finish line by the end of the weekend. If you care about keeping your public lands please make your voice heard."
"Americans left, right, and center have come together with one voice to say these landscapes shouldn't be sold off to fund tax cuts for the uberwealthy—not now, not ever."
Athan Manuel, director of Sierra Club's Lands Protection Program, said in a Saturday morning statement that "the new version of Mike Lee's public lands sell-off is like cutting 'most' of the mercury out of your diet. The fact of the matter is that Mike Lee has spent the better part of a decade trying to privatize our public lands, and with his new power in the Senate, he's trying to push that agenda even further without public input, without transparency, and shame."
"Americans left, right, and center have come together with one voice to say these landscapes shouldn't be sold off to fund tax cuts for the uberwealthy—not now, not ever," Manuel added. "Congress needs to listen to their constituents, not billionaires and private developers, and keep the 'public' in public lands.”
A document from Lee states that his "amended proposal dramatically narrows the scope of lands to be sold for housing... in communities where it is desperately needed" in the U.S. West. The new version would exclude all Forest Service land and reduce the amount of Bureau of Land Management acres to be sold by half.
"It's still bullshit,"responded Noelle Porter, government affairs director at the National Housing Law Project.
Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), the ranking member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, has recently said: "This isn't about building more housing or energy dominance. It's about giving their billionaire buddies YOUR land and YOUR money."
"From the Sierra Club to Joe Rogan, everybody is pissed off about Republicans' public lands sell-off," he wrote on social media Friday. "This is the broadest coalition I've seen around public lands in my lifetime, so keep making sure your voices are heard because we're winning."
Jane Fonda's climate-focused political action committee similarly stressed on social media Friday that "Lee is committed to including a massive public land sale provision in the Big Beautiful Bill. We need you to keep up the pressure and reach out to your senators today and demand they reject any new sales of public lands in this legislation."
And it's not just the land sales in the Friday night text of what critics call the "big, ugly bill." It also "creates new fees for renewable energy projects on public lands, and cuts royalty rates for oil, gas, and coal production on public lands," noted Sam Ricketts, co-founder of S2 Strategies, which is working to build a clean energy economy. "Make it make sense."
As Manuel and Heinrich pointed out, some right-wingers are also outraged by Lee's push to sell off public lands. Benji Backer, founder of Nature Is Nonpartisan and the American Conservation Coalition, took aim at the committee chair on social media Friday night.
"Mike Lee just quietly doubled down on his mass public lands sel-loff by releasing new text," Backer said. "The Senate could consider it as soon as tomorrow. The secrecy is gross—and intentional. Lee knows it's his only path. America, we NEED to stand strong.
Tagging the Senate GOP account and Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.), Backer added that "Americans are entirely UNITED in opposition against this. Please ask Sen. Lee to let this provision... stand on its own—at the very least."
Even if the Senate somehow advances Lee's legislation, it could face trouble in the House of Representatives, which is also narrowly controlled by the GOP. On Thursday, Republican Reps. Ryan Zinke (Mont.), David Valadao (Calif.), Mike Simpson (Idaho), Dan Newhouse (Wash.), and Cliff Bentz (Ore.) warned that "we cannot accept the sale of federal lands that Sen. Lee seeks."
"If a provision to sell public lands is in the bill that reaches the House floor, we will be forced to vote no," warned the lawmakers, led by Zinke, who was the interior secretary during President Donald Trump's first term. Lee's provision, they wrote, would be a "grave mistake, unforced error, and poison pill that will cause the bill to fail should it come to the House floor."
Keep ReadingShow Less
Senate GOP and Fetterman Block Effort to Stop Trump's War on Iran
"The current cease-fire is fragile—and the only path to lasting peace is diplomacy, not another cycle of American military escalation," one campaigner stressed after lawmakers refused to advance the resolution.
Jun 27, 2025
Nearly all U.S. Senate Republicans and Democratic Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania on Friday evening blocked a resolution that reiterated Congress' authority to declare war and would have ordered President Donald Trump to stop taking military action against Iran without congressional approval.
Every other member of the Democratic Caucus and Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) supported holding a final vote on the resolution—which Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.), a member of the Senate Armed Services and Foreign Relations committees, announced last week, before Trump's weekend bombing of Iranian nuclear facilities.
"We commend Sen. Kaine for his steadfast leadership in bringing this resolution, and the U.S. senators who stood on the right side of history today in safeguarding against yet another senseless war."
Citing the U.S. Constitution and the War Powers Resolution of 1973, Kaine's measure states that "the question of whether United States forces should be engaged in hostilities against Iran should be answered following a full briefing to Congress and the American public of the issues at stake, a public debate in Congress, and a congressional vote."
Pointing to various other federal laws, Kaine's resolution "directs the president to terminate the use of United States Armed Forces for hostilities against the Islamic Republic of Iran or any part of its government or military, unless explicitly authorized by a declaration of war or specific authorization for use of military force against Iran."
In a statement after Friday's 47-53 vote, Kaine said that "the Framers of our Constitution gave Congress the power to declare war because they believed that the decision to send our nation's men and women in uniform into harm's way was too big for any one person. The Trump administration's chaotic strategy on Iran confused the American people and created significant risks for service members and their families."
"I am disappointed that many of my colleagues are not willing to stand up and say Congress needs to be part of a decision as important as whether or not the U.S. should send our nation's sons and daughters to fight against Iran," Kaine added. "I will continue to do all I can to keep presidents of any party from starting wars without robust public debate by Congress."
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who caucuses with Democrats, was among the lawmakers who spoke in support of Kaine's resolution ahead of the vote. "We do not need another unnecessary and costly war. We have had enough of them," he said on the Senate floor, pointing out that the Vietnam War and the U.S. invasion of Iraq were "based on a series of lies."
"We should not go to war against Iran," Sanders declared. He condemned Trump's recent attack on the Middle Eastern country as "unconstitutional," and argued that "diplomacy is a better path," as demonstrated by the nuclear deal in 2015—which Trump ultimately ditched during his first term.
Sanders also made the case that the U.S. should not be allied with "war criminal" Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who started the bombing of Iran and is wanted by the International Criminal Court for his mass slaughter of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
"Enough is enough," the senator said, noting that the U.S. gives Netanyahu's government billions of dollars in annual military aid. "It is beyond absurd that we continue to finance Israel's wars while neglecting the needs of our own people."
Meanwhile, in response to a question from a BBC reporter on Friday, Trump said that he would "without question, absolutely" consider bombing Iran again if intelligence suggested the country could enrich uranium to a level that concerned him.
After the Senate vote, National Iranian American Council president Jamal Abdi said that the outcome "says more about the makeup of the Senate than it does the merits of the resolution. Regardless, we saw a near majority do the right thing and stand up against war and for democracy, despite a cavalcade of misinformation from war hawks. We will continue to press the case that war with Iran is against U.S. interests and U.S. security, and redouble our work to prevent the conflict from reigniting."
"We commend Sen. Kaine for his steadfast leadership in bringing this resolution, and the U.S. senators who stood on the right side of history today in safeguarding against yet another senseless war," he continued, noting the cease-fire between Israel and Iran that Trump announced earlier this week.
"Though a cease-fire is holding for now, the most certain way to guarantee peace is through an abandonment of war and a bold pursuit of sincere negotiations," Abdi added. "We urge our Members of Congress to change course, and urgently support a return to U.S.—Iran talks and a diplomatic pathway forward for both countries."
We took an oath to defend the Constitution - just like every Senator. Today, Republicans broke that oath. We WILL hold them accountable. (2/2)
— VoteVets (@votevets.org) June 27, 2025 at 7:09 PM
Also responding to the Friday development in a statement, Demand Progress senior policy adviser Cavan Kharrazian asserted that "today's vote sends a powerful message: There is a bipartisan movement to reject more war in the Middle East and prevent us from being unilaterally dragged into war before Congress and the American people can have their say."
"We thank Sen. Kaine for his leadership and Sen. Paul for his principled vote to stand up for the Constitution," Kharrazian said, urging the House of Representatives to pass a similar resolution led by Reps. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) and Ro Khanna (D-Calif.).
Ahead of the Senate's vote, more than 41,000 people nationwide had signed a petition from the progressive group MoveOn Civic Action that calls on Congress to vote for the resolutions in both chambers.
"The current cease-fire is fragile—and the only path to lasting peace is diplomacy, not another cycle of American military escalation," Kharrazian emphasized. "The U.S. must lead with restraint, not repeat the mistakes of endless war."
Keep ReadingShow Less
Muslim Lawmakers Decry 'Vile' Bipartisan Islamophobic Attacks on Zohran Mamdani
The lawmakers asserted that "smears from our colleagues on both sides of the aisle" cannot be allowed to continue.
Jun 27, 2025
All four Muslim members of the U.S. House of Representatives on Friday condemned their colleagues' Islamophobic attacks on Democratic New York City mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani, which have come not only from Republicans but also from at least two congressional Democrats representing the candidate's home state.
"The vile, anti-Muslim, and racist smears from our colleagues on both sides of the aisle attacking Zohran Mamdani cannot be met with silence," Reps. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), André Carson (D-Ind.), and Lateefah Simon (D-Calif.) said in a joint statement.
"At a time of increased violence against elected officials, we cannot allow the attacks on Zohran Mamdani to continue."
Mamdani—a democratic socialist who would be the first Muslim mayor of the nation's largest city if he wins November's general election—has come under fire by Republicans including Rep. Andy Ogles of Tennessee, who on Thursday formally appealed to U.S. Attorney Pam Bondi to initiate proceedings to denaturalize and deport "little Muhammad."
Earlier this week, Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) posted a photo of Mamdani wearing a traditional tunic with the caption, "After 9/11 we said, 'Never Forget.' I think sadly we have forgotten."
As of Friday afternoon, no Democratic member of Congress from New York had explicitly condemned their GOP colleagues' Islamophobic remarks. To the contrary, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) falsely claimed Thursday that Mamdani had made references to "global jihad" and spuriously asserted that "globalize the intifada"—a call for Palestinian liberation and battling injustice—is a call to "kill all the Jews."
Freshman Rep. Lauren Gillen (D-N.Y.) also falsely accused Mamdani of "a deeply disturbing pattern of unacceptable antisemitic comments."
The four Muslim lawmakers said in their statement that "these hateful, Islamophobic, and racist tropes have become so entrenched and normalized in our politics."
"We know these attacks all too well," they added.
Omar and Tlaib have been on the receiving end of Islamophobic attacks by House colleagues and outside death threats for years, stemming in part from Omar's status as refugee and Tlaib's as the only Palestinian American in Congress.
Like Mamdani, both lawmakers have also been targeted from both sides of the aisle for their support for Palestinian liberation, as well as their opposition to Israel's invasion, occupation, colonization and apartheid in Palestine, and the assault and siege of Gaza that are the subject of an ongoing International Court of Justice genocide case.
Advocacy groups have reported a sharp increase in anti-Muslim and anti-Palestinian hate incidents since the October 7, 2023 Hamas-led assault on Israel, a climate reminiscent of the pervasive Islamophobia following the September 11, 2001 attacks. There has also been a surge in antisemitism as Israeli forces obliterate Gaza, although critics have decried the widespread conflation of opposition to Zionism with hatred of Jewish people by groups including the Anti-Defamation League.
"At a time of increased violence against elected officials, we cannot allow the attacks on Zohran Mamdani to continue," the four lawmakers stressed. "They directly contribute to the ongoing dehumanization and violence against Muslim Americans. We unequivocally reject the normalization of anti-Muslim hate and fearmongering and call on elected leaders across our country to speak out."
Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) also issued a statement Friday condemning the "outpouring of disgraceful, dangerous, racist ideology from sitting members of Congress and [Trump] administration officials following Zohran Mamdani's win in the New York mayoral primary."
Jayapal continued:
The constant displays of Islamophobia are an affront to the millions of Muslim Americans and Muslims around the world. One of the most jarring called for the denaturalization and deportation of Mr. Mamdani, an American citizen who just won a massive Democratic primary with more votes than that member, Mr. Ogles, could ever hope to win. This is an insult to voters in New York City who take democracy seriously.
Denaturalization of U.S. citizens is part of the Trump playbook to attack all legal immigration. It is completely outrageous and flies in the face of the laws of this country.
"The hateful language directed at Mr. Mamdani will get someone killed, and we all should be outraged," Jayapal added. "It must end. Every person who cares about democracy, freedom of religion, and the right for all Americans to be treated equally should speak out immediately against these insane and dangerous attacks."
Keep ReadingShow Less
Most Popular