ALL THE WAY BACK

Trump Administration to Start Sending Asylum Seekers Back to Mexico: Report

The policy change was announced in late December.

The Trump administration will reportedly start sending some migrants who are seeking asylum back to Mexico starting Friday, The Wall Street Journal reports. Some migrants, who are currently along the San Diego border, will reportedly be sent back while they wait for their immigration court hearings. An official told the newspaper the program would start “imminently” and U.S. immigration officials have already started working with their Mexican counterparts in order to roll out the plan. Under the new program, future asylum seekers will reportedly be returned to Mexico after they are processed by American immigration authorities. They will also be given a notice to appear in U.S. immigration court in about a month’s time, according to the report.

According to The Washington Post, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen announced the new policy late December. “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,” Nielsen said. “Instead, they will wait for an immigration court decision while they are in Mexico.”