For those looking to immigrate from south of the U.S. border, like Mexico and Central and South America, the last few years have been complicated. With the “Remain in Mexico” policy, even those seeking asylum were not allowed to enter the U.S. during their immigration proceedings. Of course, immigrating to the U.S. was never easy, but this policy made the process much more complicated and difficult. However, that policy has now been officially abolished.
The “Remain in Mexico” policy
The former administration had a policy of returning asylum seekers that crossed into the U.S. through the U.S./Mexico border could not stay in the U.S. Instead, they had to return to Mexico and await contact from the immigration court.
The policy is officially abolished
According to the Homeland Security Secretary, Alejandro Mayorkas, through a memorandum issued by his office, the “Remain in Mexico” policy has been officially rescinded and abolished. The policy was already suspended, so no new people entered the program, but those already in the program, formally entitled the, Migrant Protection Protocols, were still not allowed into the U.S. And, to date, over 11,000 migrants have now been processed into the U.S.
Immigration generally
For Greensboro, North Carolina, residents looking to immigrate or who have family looking to immigrate to the U.S., call an attorney. As this policy shift exemplifies, immigration policy is constantly changing, and even from administration to administration, entirely new layers of legal hurdles can be added or subtracted. This is why it is so important to contact an attorney prior to starting the process to ensure that one’s immigration story has the best chance of having a happy ending.