US will send asylum seekers back to Mexico while bids are processed
- The major change in immigration policy applies to non-Mexican asylum seekers
- Mexico has agreed to accept some of those migrants in an apparent concession to US President Donald Trump
The US Department of Homeland Security on Thursday announced a major change in immigration policy, saying it would send non-Mexican migrants back south of the border while their US asylum requests are processed.
Mexico’s government said that it would accept some of those migrants for humanitarian reasons, in what many will see as a concession to US President Donald Trump’s administration.
“Aliens trying to game the system to get into our country illegally will no longer be able to disappear into the United States, where many skip their court dates,” US Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen said in a statement.
“Instead, they will wait for an immigration court decision while they are in Mexico.”
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In response, Mexico’s foreign ministry underscored that it still has the right to admit or reject the entry of foreigners into its territory.
