TEXAS – Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton this week announced his third court case against the Biden administration. It calls on the president to reinstate migrant protection protocols, better known as the “stay in Mexico” policy.
The policy, put in place by former President Donald Trump, requires migrants to stay in Mexico while their applications are processed.
The lawsuit, which was filed jointly with Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt, says the policy’s removal weighed on state and federal agencies tasked with defending the border.
“President Biden could immediately address the influx of crime crossing our border by restoring migrant protection protocols,” Paxton wrote in a press release. “Dangerous criminals are taking advantage of the failure of law enforcement and this translates into human trafficking, smuggling, a plethora of violent crimes and a massive and unprecedented burden on state and federal programs for which taxpayers have to foot the bill. We can no longer let this anarchy destroy our communities. President Biden must act.
Established by Trump in January 2019, the MPP has returned more than 70,000 asylum seekers enrolled in the program to Mexico.
Critics described it as an irresponsible and inhumane program that subjected people to kidnapping, extortion, and violence.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
