Photo: dw.com

By THE PULSE NEWS MEXICO STAFF    

U.S. President Donald J. Trump’s new program to have asylum seekers await outside the United States while their cases are being reviewed went into effect on Friday, Jan. 25.

Faced with thousands of Central American migrants that have arrived at the southern U.S border in recent months, many in massive organized caravans, and with an estimated 10,000 new immigrants who entered Mexico legally in the last week under a new open-door policy initiated by Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador now on their way north, the Trump administration has implementing a controversial new plan that will no longer allow refugee applicants to await their fate inside U.S. territory.

The “Remain in Mexico” program was launched at the San Ysidro, California, border pass, the United States’ busiest crossing and the entry point of choice for most of Central American migrants.

.Although the legality of the new policy is still being challenged in U.S. courts, it is slated to be be implemented at other crossing points in the near future.

In principle, Mexico has agreed to accept the migrants on humanitarian grounds during their processing period, but has stressed that any persons who break or disrespect Mexican law will be immediately departed back to their country of origin.

Mexico has also said that it will not accept migrants who may become victims of violence.

Initially, U.S. immigration officials said that only about 20 migrants will be processed a day at the California crossing,  but eventually, that number is expected to increase to more than 100 a day.