(NewsNation Now) — Over the past week, U.S. Border Patrol agents have returned dozens of migrants seeking to enter the United States back across the border to Mexico to await asylum hearings under the restarted “Remain in Mexico” policy.
The policy requires non-Mexican migrants to remain on the Mexican side of the border while their asylum claims are processed. This time around, the Mexican authorities are lending a hand with enforcement and care for the asylum seekers.
According to The Border Report, U.S. authorities have returned more than 80 migrants to Mexico in the first six days of the restart. The returned are men from Cuba, Nicaragua, Venezuela, Ecuador and Colombia. None of the men come from the “Northern Triangle” countries of Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador. Also, they all appeared to be in good health and were given their initial COVID-19 vaccines before being returned to Mexico.
Mexican authorities say the migrants are receiving good care in Mexico and being connected with the Red Cross for relief services as needed.
The number of migrants going back across the border is expected to increase as the policy remains in effect.
“Remain in Mexico” was a Trump-era policy that President Joe Biden had suspended on his first day in office, but which a federal appeals court ordered reinstated. Biden continues to say he wants the policy abolished, but that’s unlikely to happen anytime soon.