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SCOTUS: Remain in Mexico policy can be terminated

By: Greg Bradbury

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TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — The Supreme Court ruled on Thursday that the Biden administration can terminate a Trump-era asylum policy.

The Trump-era policy said that migrants seeking asylum would have to wait in Mexico until their hearings in the United States.

"In reality this is a victory for the Biden administration," Mo Goldman, an immigration attorney in Tucson said. "But it's a somewhat hollow victory in that there is still the Title 42 in place right now."

Goldman said that with Title 42 still in place, this decision by the Supreme Court won't change much for migrants seeking asylum.

"Because if a migrant wants to come to a port of entry and ask for protection, they're going to get pushed back because of the Title 42 provision," Goldman said.

Goldman pointed to the recent tragedy in San Antonio where 53 migrants died as something that could become more common.

"Unfortunately, those types of incidents are more apt to occur at a time when people cannot follow legal paths to get to the United States." Goldman said. "So, they are going to look for any other way to do so and the beneficiaries of that are the cartels, the human traffickers."

In April, Cochise County Sheriff Mark Dannels said his staff was already being strained.

"We're already trying to address this we're already being overwhelmed," Sheriff Dannels said. "We're a rural county; we don't have the resources like you do in Pima or Maricopa County and cities beyond."

Those already waiting to have their cases heard are also dealing with a strained system. Immigration courts are backed up having some wait for years.

"The reality is that there is still a lot that needs to be remedied or fixed to make the system function in a practical way," Goldman said. "It's just not functioning as it should and that's primarily due to lack of resources."

The backlog is only expected to get worse if Title 42 is lifted.

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Greg Bradbury is a reporter for KGUN 9. Greg is a graduate of Syracuse University where he studied Broadcast Journalism and Spanish. Greg joined KGUN 9 in February 2021 as a Multimedia Journalist after working at the ABC National Desk as a Digital News Associate. Share your story ideas and important issues with Greg by emailing greg.bradbury@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

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