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Trump created this program to limit the rise of asylum seekers. This policy allowed US border officers to send non-Mexican asylum seekers to Mexico to wait for their papers to be approved. It was used to send nearly 70,000 migrants to Mexico.
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"Asylum seekers swept up in the MPP program face kidnapping, sexual assault, exploitation, lack of basic necessities, abuse and other dangers in Mexico, with no meaningful access to due process in the United States."(Human Rights Watch)
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A public health law implemented by the Trump administration allowed border agents to turn away would-be immigrants(often without allowing them to make their case). Fewer people were accepted into asylum at this time, so many were turning to dangerous and illegal routes to enter the US.
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"The group Human Rights First has tracked reports of immigrants who have faced kidnapping and torture in Mexico after being "blocked in or expelled due to Title 42." (Aleaziz, Hamed, Carcamo)
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Biden signed a proclamation that paused construction/funding on the border wall between Mexico and US, as he believed building the wall was not an emergency. While Trump originally started building this wall because he believed this was a national issue, Biden believed that the money was taking away from militaries, schools, and caused risks to the environment. In addition, he wanted to use the money for genuine security challenges, like human trafficking and drug smuggling. -
Biden passed the U.S. Citizenship of 2021 legislative bill that allowed undocumented immigrants who came before Jan 1, 2021 to apply for temporary legal status (after background checks and paying taxes). After 5 years, they could apply for a green card. This bill provided amnesty for over 11 billion undocumented immigrants. Although this legislation did face criticism, many were content with this act as it provided good hardworking people a chance to earn citizenship. -
Biden passed the Build Back Better Act which provided temporary protection and work documents to undocumented immigrants. Overall, this act was able to improve productivity and reduce inflation since it invested in the US workforce. -
Biden ended the Migrant Protection Protocols that Trump previously implemented in 2019. The ending of this act allowed migrants to travel. Instead of being held in detention facilities, migrants are monitored through other techniques like ankle bracelets. Those who were in the program have since been released, although not all were able to enter the US. -
Biden started a new program, called the Welcome Corps, allowing U.S. citizens/permanent residents to sponsor someone to enter the US as a formal refugee even when there's no active refugee resettlement organization. The goal of the program is to help more than 5,000 refugees this year. -
The Border Security and Enforcement Act of 2023 restricted access and eligibility for asylum (Restrict asylum for only migrants that arrive to the US at official ports, impose a fee for asylum, etc.)