America has begun the process of sending back migrants to Mexico. They will return to the city of Tijuana. This will be as per a U.S. federal court order. It will mean a revival of an order from the era of former President Donald Trump. In other words, asylum seekers cannot enter the U.S. directly but will wait for U.S. court hearings in Mexico.
The scheme known as Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP) was a controversial scheme and a U.S. federal court passed an order on the subject. The United States and Mexico have agreed to relaunch the scheme, and work have begun.
During his tenure as President, Trump wanted to build an impregnable wall between the two countries. The purpose of the wall would be to deter illegal crossings, especially of those with criminal intent like drug smugglers. Work had begun, but it was put on hold by the new administration of Joe Biden.
U.S. President Joe Biden had tried to reverse some of the immigration policies that former president Donald Trump introduced. The MPP was one of these. On assuming office, Biden had put an end to this practice. He felt immigration deserved a more humane approach. However, in August, a federal judge ordered the reinstatement of MPP. In August, there was an unprecedented surge in the arrival of migrants at the US-Mexico border.
Tough time for migrants who seek asylum
The original program for migrants seeking asylum in the United States dates 2019. Under the scheme, thousands of migrants who sought asylum had to wait in Mexico. At times, the wait could be in weeks or even years. The U.N.'s International Organization of Migration (OIM) revealed that the relaunch of MPP began in December.
It took place at the international crossing that connects El Paso, Texas, to Ciudad Juarez. Since the relaunch, more than 200 people have gone back to Mexico. The restart of MPP has not gone down well with some people. The United Nations' refugee agency and advocacy groups have criticized it. The agency feels the migrants would feel unsafe because of fears of crimes like kidnapping, atrocities on women, and rampant extortion in border towns of Mexico.
The U.S. Coast Guard sends back migrants from Cuba
The United States Coast Guard undertook multiple operations to send back migrants from Cuba. It seems plenty of Cubans are trying to reach the United States by using the water route as their mode of travel. People usually migrate to another country under compulsion. These could be because of political instability or violence or natural disasters like typhoons, floods, fires, earthquakes, etc.
Cuban migrants and perilous sea voyages
U.S. Coast Guard helps to keep the U.S. border security and prevent perilous sea voyages of the Cubans from ending in tragedies. The U.S. authorities send them back by boats. Cuba's economy is in a crisis because of U.S.
sanctions and the COVID-19 pandemic. These have crippled the vital international tourism to the Caribbean island. Incidentally, the crossing between Cuba and the U.S. is dangerous. It has claimed the lives of many Cubans, and some of them use the land route also.