In recent years, migrants have set up camp in Matamoros, awaiting entry into the United States. Defenders of immigrants called the situation a humanitarian crisis just meters from the U.S. southern border, which was formed as a result of the Trump administration’s harsh policies.
President Joe Biden ended the Trump era policy, informally known as “staying in Mexico”, and started the process of allowing entry of migrants who were subject to it. The camp in Matamoros is one of many places where migrants were forced to stay and has become a symbol of the policy of “staying in Mexico”.
DHS said on Saturday that the Biden government, in partnership with international organizations, has completed the registration of individuals remaining in the camp.
“We are no longer registering people in the Matamoros camp and anyone who arrives in the camp will have access to this program in phases through their physical presence there,” said a DHS spokesman. “A small number of individuals who remained in the camp have been moved to other locations identified by our partners from international organizations that offer greater protection than the informal camp.”
Efforts to admit migrants subject to the “stay in Mexico” policy are underway, but so far, the United States has prosecuted more than 700 people at Brownsville’s port of entry, according to the spokesman. The Biden government estimates that some 25,000 migrants still have active cases in the program. Migrants must take the Covid-19 test before entering the United States.
The “stay in Mexico” policy, which took effect in January 2019, was an unprecedented departure from previous protocols, which allowed migrants to enter during their immigration hearings in the United States.