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US resumes controversial 'Remain in Mexico' policy

Among the hundreds of asylum seekers living at a camp at the El Capparal plaza on Mexican side of the San Ysidro port of entry are many Haitian nationals hoping for a chance to claim asylum in the United States, March 15, 2021.
Matthew Bowler
Among the hundreds of asylum seekers living at a camp at the El Capparal plaza on Mexican side of the San Ysidro port of entry are many Haitian nationals hoping for a chance to claim asylum in the United States, March 15, 2021.

This week marked the return of the controversial “Remain in Mexico” policy, as multiple asylum seekers were sent back over the border to Tijuana to await the resolution of their cases.

Known officially as Migrant Protection Protocols, the policy has long been criticized by migrant right's advocates for putting asylum seekers in harms way upon their return to Mexico.

RELATED: In Tijuana, desperate asylum seekers prepare for the return of ‘Remain in Mexico’

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While the Biden administration initially sought to do away with the Trump-era border policy, its initial cancellation was struck down in court and has since both continued and expanded to add more countries of origin for asylum seekers that are eligible to be returned upon entry to the U.S.

The program highlights a growing frustration in the handling of asylum cases that many thought would differ under a new president.

San Diego Union-Tribune reporter Kate Morrissey joined Midday Edition on Friday with more on the return of the program.