The browser you are using is not supported. Please consider using a modern browser.

Skip Navigation
Donate
Start of main content.

Press Release // Immigration and Asylum

Supreme Court Rules on “Remain in Mexico” Case

LIRS logo

LIRS Staff

June 30, 2022

Contact: Tim Young | tyoung@lirs.org | 443-257-6310

WASHINGTON D.C. – The Supreme Court has ruled today on a case which examines the Biden Administration’s ability to end the Trump-era “Remain in Mexico” policy, sending it back to a lower court in a 5-4 decision. The policy has been used at least 70,000 times to send asylum seekers back to Mexico until their cases are heard. People forced back to Mexico often wait in dangerous and even deadly conditions since the policy was first enacted in 2019.

In response to the ruling, Krish O’Mara Vignarajah, president and CEO of Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service said:

“The Supreme Court’s decision to remand Biden v Texas back to the lower court is a welcome development. It means, however, that the fight to help those fleeing persecution and seeking protection in the US continues.

Since 2019, more than 1,500 people forced to wait in Mexico have faced murder, rape, torture, kidnappings, and other violent acts. In April alone, despite additional protections that had been put in place by the Biden administration, three men were brazenly kidnapped from a van transporting them in Mexico. It is yet another failed deterrence tactic that contributes to desperate people seeking out increasingly dangerous pathways to safety in the U.S. — underscored by this week’s heartbreaking and tragic loss of at least 53 souls seeking a better life.

America needs a functioning immigration system that is humane, capable of meeting the demands of 21st century crises, and that upholds our legal obligation to allow people fleeing persecution to seek safety inside our borders—Remain in Mexico fails on all accounts. We urge the lower court to put an end to this policy once and for all. Doing anything else is contrary to our values as a country, fails to uphold our obligation to protect asylum seekers and will cause the deaths of even more vulnerable people.”

The Latest

  • Press Release · Immigration and Asylum

    November 29, 2023

    LIRS Opposes Congressional Efforts to End Asylum Protections in Budget Negotiations

    As a bipartisan group of Senators continue negotiations on President Biden’s $106 billion funding request, Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service urges lawmakers to safeguard critical asylum protections

    Read More

  • Press Release · Empowering Refugees

    November 20, 2023

    Overcoming Poverty and Raising Wages: “New American Cities” Workforce Development Program

    LIRS and Yoga Alliance will establish a pilot program that will incorporate yoga to help refugees and immigrants heal from the emotional trauma they experienced on their journeys to the United States.

    Read More

  • News · Immigration and Asylum

    November 10, 2023

    Unsung Heroes: Immigrants in the U.S. Military

    An estimated 700,000 foreign-born veterans call this country home, while approximately 45,000 immigrants are currently defending our freedoms as members of the armed forces.

    Read More

  • Press Release · Empowering Refugees

    November 9, 2023

    LIRS Partners with Yoga Alliance to Develop Innovative Mental Health Programming

    LIRS and Yoga Alliance will establish a pilot program that will incorporate yoga to help refugees and immigrants heal from the emotional trauma they experienced on their journeys to the United States.

    Read More

  • Press Release

    November 2, 2023

    LIRS Urges Pakistan to Halt Afghan Deportation Campaign

    Nearly 120,000 unaccompanied migrant children entered the U.S. government's shelter system in Fiscal Year (FY) 2023. LIRS stresses the need for more robust protections, additional resources for post-release services, and access to legal representation

    Read More

Related Posts

Press Release · Immigration and Asylum

LIRS Opposes Congressional Efforts to End Asylum Protections in Budget Negotiations

November 29th

More

Press Release · Immigration and Asylum

LIRS Condemns DHS Decision to Resume Removals of Venezuelan Migrants to Venezuela

October 6th

More

Press Release · Immigration and Asylum

Biden Administration Extends, Redesignates Venezuela for TPS

September 24th

More

Share