Trump Administration Reaches Deal That Will Force Asylum Seekers To Wait In Mexico As Cases Are Processed

Mohammed Salem/Reuters

The Department of Homeland Security announced new measures Thursday requiring asylum seekers at the border to return to Mexico and wait while their claims are processed, possibly for months or years, describing the plan as one of the most significant changes to immigration policy in decades.

Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen outlined the new measures during a contentious oversight hearing with members of the House Judiciary Committee, telling lawmakers that the administration is preparing to implement the policy in coming days. They will be introduced at select locations before expanding across the entire southern U.S. border, officials said.

Separately, Mexico’s new leftist government announced Thursday that it will allow the United States to send asylum seekers who cross illegally back to its territory and provide them with work visas and humanitarian assistance while they wait.

The policy is likely to face legal challenges, and federal courts have repeatedly blocked the Trump administration’s efforts to tighten border controls via executive action. Nonetheless, the deal amounts to a significant diplomatic win for the administration, which has engaged in delicate talks to cajole Mexico to become an immigration antechamber for Central Americans seeking U.S. asylum.

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