Thread by @ReichlinMelnick

CBP has now posted their own guidelines for Remain in Mexico/MPP. This includes three documents:

1. "[MPP] Guiding Principles"

2. "Commissioner's Memo implementing the [MPP]"

3. "Field Operations Memo implementing the [MPP]"

Still no Nielsen memo.

cbp.gov/document/guida…

A brief thread with new information from these documents. First, we get the most comprehensive (and easily readable) list of the groups of people who will NOT be forced to wait in Mexico for immigration court hearings:

One odd decision about this program regards individuals with a criminal record or "history of violence." These individuals will be taken into ICE custody and processed normally, whereas those with NO criminal history will be sent back to Mexico. A weird choice.

Here, CBP indicates that the immigration courts may essentially establish a new set of dockets for specific populations of asylum-seekers "(e.g. single adult males, single adult females, family units)," which is news; but we still know virtually nothing about the court process.

CBP says that anyone subject to Remain in Mexico/MPP will be given a "tear sheet containing information about the process."

What is kind of ignored is that many current asylum-seekers are indigenous Mayans who don't read Spanish.

Here's another new bit of info: those subject to Remain in Mexico/MPP will actually get to express a fear of Mexico *every time they return to the port of entry.*! So USCIS asylum officers may end up screening the same person repeatedly.

This is supposed to be more efficient?

And here's how CBP will handle the scheduling process at the ports of entry when someone has to come back for a hearing. CBP will have to fingerprint the person, screen them, and then turn them over to ICE. Then when they come back, they will be escorted back to Mexico.

Next, on to CBP Commissioner @CBP_McAleenan's Implementation of the Migrant Protection Protocols. It's a short memo, saying that the program will began on January 28, 2019 at San Ysidro. The only bit of news? "[I]t is anticipated that [MPP] will be expanded in the near future."

The final memo posted today by CBP is from Todd Hoffman, the Executive Director, Admissibility and Passenger Programs, CBP Office of Field Operations. It just says that the San Diego Field Office of CBP will start implementing MPP at the San Ysidro Port of Entry on Jan. 28, 2019.

Importantly, CBP did NOT publish any memoranda today about expanding the Remain in Mexico/MPP program to the Border Patrol yet. So those who cross between ports will still be processed as normal. This is why the Border Patrol opposes MPP. splinternews.com/border-patrol-…

Others have already discussed how Remain in Mexico will lead to vulnerable individuals being subject to violence, death, or other harm while forced to wait in Mexico. Check out one such thread here. But I want to talk for a minute about efficiency.

https://twitter.com/matt_cam/status/1090054648722006017

This plan is a mess, involving complicated cooperation between four government agencies, likely at huge expense! At the first step of the process, it requires cooperation between CBP and USCIS, with 4-5 different steps all done AT the port of entry (taking hours/days).

At the second step of the process, this plan requires cooperation between CBP, ICE, EOIR (the immigration courts), and likely USCIS. Here's how that'll work for an asylum-seeker returning to a port of entry for a scheduled court date.

1. Asylum-seeker comes to POE.
1. CBP fingerprints/screens him.
2. ICE picks him up and takes him to court.
3. He has a hearing at EOIR and gets a new court date.
4. ICE returns him to CBP. He expresses a fear in Mexico.
5. USCIS screens him again.
6. CBP returns him to Mexico.

This is why people are saying this process is not only a humanitarian disaster in the making, but it also makes absolutely no sense if the government wanted to *actually* reduce stress on the asylum process. This entire process is inefficient, expensive, and needlessly difficult.

Importantly, the above process, with multiple steps and cooperation between 4 different agencies, may be repeated 4-5 times per person!

So why such a complicated process? Simple. The administration doesn't want to let asylum seekers into the country. And this is a deterrent.

One other thing to note about efficiency. This policy's reliance on USCIS Asylum Officers to screen people for a fear in Mexico will do nothing but exacerbate already terrible delays in the asylum process. There's already an AO shortage, and this plan could make that WAY worse.