Trump’s policy to stay in Mexico could be revived by a new Republican bill in the House of Representatives
FIRST ON FOX: A group of Republicans in the House of Representatives is trying to codify it Stay in Mexicoa cornerstone of President-elect Donald Trump’s border policy during his first term.
Rep. Brandon Gill, R-Texas, a first-term lawmaker, is leading the effort, which was first shared with Fox News Digital on Thursday.
His bill would require the Department of Homeland Security to reinstate the Migrant Protection Protocol, better known as Stay in Mexico.
ICE ARRESTS ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT CHARGED WITH SEX OFFENSES IN BLUE CITY AFTER GETTING OUT OF JAIL
President-elect Donald Trump speaks at the US-Mexico border on August 22, 2024. (Rebecca Noble/Getty Images)
“The American people have given President Trump and the Republicans a mandate to secure the border, and Congress must pass the Stay in Mexico Act as the first step to secure our border and fix the problems Democrats have created in our country,” Gill told Fox News Digital.
The policy, implemented by Trump in January 2019, required migrants seeking asylum at the US southwest border to await immigration processing in Mexico.
A federal judge had stopped the Biden administration since the program was halted, but officials stopped using it for new cases in mid-2022.
President Biden campaigned to repeal the policy, which rights groups and left-wing organizations have criticized as cruel and inhumane, given allegations of rape and other crimes migrants have suffered while waiting in Mexico.
The American Civil Liberties Union previously said about the policy: “The stay-in-Mexico policy, misnamed the ‘Migrant Protection Protocols,’ has created a humanitarian disaster at the border and has been the subject of ACLU lawsuits since it was first implemented in 2019.”
New GOP Rep. Brandon Gill is introducing a bill to codify President-elect Donald Trump’s stay-in-Mexico policy. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
However, proponents of the Remain In Mexico initiative argue that it is one of the only viable solutions to help cities and towns on the U.S. side of the border, many of whose infrastructure has been strained by the volume of people crossing illegally or seeking asylum.
Gill introduces his bill about two weeks before Trump takes office for his second term.
Codifying the policy in federal law would make it much more difficult for critics to repeal it under another administration.
Republicans in Congress are rushing to prepare for Trump’s return with a series of conservative bills that have been made since the 119th Congress began last Friday.
TRUMP, GOP SENATORS TO GATHER IN CAPITOL, WEIGH STRATEGY ON BUDGET, TAXES AND BORDER
Authorities are tracking two suspects after the death of an agent of the National Migration Institute, in Samalayuca, on the outskirts of Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, on December 30, 2024. (REUTERS/Jose Luis Gonzalez)
A significant number of these bills relate to immigration and the borderan issue that proved critical for the GOP in the November election.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
The House of Representatives passed its first bill on Tuesday, aimed at allowing federal officials to detain migrants accused or convicted of theft-related crimes. More than 40 Democrats voted for the bill, along with all the Republicans present.
Trump has signaled that he hopes for an active first 100 days in office, especially with Republicans controlling both the House and Senate.
The White House did not respond to a request for comment.
