DHS expands Migrant Protection Protocols sites

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) now has six ports of entry Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP) sites in the wake of establishing expansion at the Eagle Pass Port of Entry.

Migrants attempting to enter the country via the southwest border regardless of location may be returned to Mexico to await their immigration court proceedings. The expansion to the Eagle Pass, Texas, venue reflects the effectiveness and importance of MPP across the southern border.

“The President is using every tool available to address the humanitarian crisis at the border to include domestic policy changes and fostering collaboration with our neighbors in the region,” Kevin K. McAleenan, acting DHS Secretary, said. “The Migrant Protection Protocols has been a key component to the success we have had addressing the crisis. We are confident in the program’s integrity and ability to adjudicate asylum claims quickly and with all due process. We have already seen individuals granted asylum, and many more fraudulent or non-meritorious cases closed. MPP has been – and remains – an essential part of these efforts. I am grateful to the government of Mexico for their partnership, including accepting MPP returns at Eagle Pass.”

The DHS said Eagle Pass returns are in accordance with the U.S.- Mexico Declaration of June 7 to further expand MPP, adding the Government of Mexico has indicated operational capability to accept returns at Eagle Pass. Aliens returned there are slated to receive notices to appear at the temporary hearing facility in Laredo, Texas, for hearings two to four months in the future.