IOM urges that the "Remain in Mexico" program ends as soon as possible after its reactivation
Ciudad Juárez (México) – The International Organization for Migration (IOM) today urged again that the "Remain in Mexico" (MPP) program ends as soon as possible and definitively after two people arrived in Ciudad Juárez after the reactivation of this policy, created in 2019 and previously suspended.
The IOM, the United Nations Agency for Migration, has repeatedly and publicly criticized the MPP, which it considers inhumane and against international law.
This morning, two persons subject to the MPP program were transferred to the Grupo Beta facilities in Ciudad Juárez (Chihuahua, northern Mexico), located near one of the city's international bridges.
After being received by Mexican immigration authorities and obtaining the proper immigration documentation, they were tested for COVID-19 and transferred by IOM personnel to one of the city's shelters, identified in coordination with the authorities of Mexico and the United States.
The IOM provided both persons with basic information about their situation and food and facilitated a COVID-19 test by medical staff.
The agency also explained to the individuals that they will have to attend an appointment in the US court in El Paso (Texas) in the coming weeks to analyze their case.
The humanitarian assistance offered to these persons is part of IOM's efforts to serve all migrants in Mexico, regardless of their immigration status, including persons subject to the MPP program.
With the temporary reactivation of the MPP program, the IOM calls for the dignity, security, and well-being of migrants to be a priority in their transfer and stay in Mexico while their asylum applications are resolved in US courts.
For more information, please contact:
Mexico City - Alberto Cabezas, Coordinador de Comunicación, OIM México, email: acabezas@iom.int, tel.: +52 55 4525 8361
Ciudad de México - Alberto Cabezas, Coordinador de Comunicación, OIM México, email: acabezas@iom.int, tel.: +52 55 4525 8361
Ciudad Juárez - Camilo Cruz, Asistente de Comunicación en la Oficina de Terreno en Juárez, OIM México, crcruz@iom.int, tel: +52 55 68707953
