Biden admin moves to end Trump-era 'Remain-in-Mexico,' admits it 'likely' helped reduce illegal migration

The Biden administration on Friday moved again to end the Trump-era "Remain-in-Mexico" policy, even as it is re-implementing it in response to a court order – and admitted that it "likely" contributed to reduced illegal migration at the southern border.

The policy, officially called the Migrant Protection Protocols, was set up and expanded in 2019 and saw migrants sent back to Mexico as they awaited their hearings. It was the cornerstone of the Trump administration’s efforts to end the practice of "catch-and-release" by which migrants were released into the interior after being apprehended.

Proponents said it was a dramatically effective program that both kept illegal immigrants out of the country and reduced the "pull factors" drawing migrants north. Critics said it was a cruel policy that resulted in migrants camping in squalid conditions and being put at risk of kidnapping and violence.