Press Release: 2022-07-01

AG Healey Issues Statement on U.S. Supreme Court Decision in ‘Remain in Mexico’ Case

AG Healey Issues Statement on U.S. Supreme Court Decision in ‘Remain in Mexico’ Case:



FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 6/30/2022



BOSTON — Attorney General Maura Healey issued the following statement in response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in the Biden v. Texas case, ultimately ruling in favor of the Biden Administration’s decision to end the Trump-era “Remain in Mexico” policy which had effectively halted the asylum process at the southern border. 



“Many immigrants turn to this country for refuge, safety, and the chance to seek a better life for themselves and their families. Today’s decision is a win for all of us, and in particular for our refugee and immigrant communities who deserve, at the very least, the opportunity to make their claims for asylum and be treated with fairness and dignity.” 



BACKGROUND: 



In March 2022, AG Healey joined a coalition of attorneys general defending the Biden Administration’s decision to end the Trump Administration’s “Remain in Mexico” policy which required noncitizens arriving at the southwest border seeking asylum to be returned to Mexico during their immigration proceedings.  



Previously, in February 2019, AG Healey joined a coalition of 20 attorneys general in filing a brief against the “Remain in Mexico” Policy. The brief argued that the policy worsened the already inhumane conditions present at the border, and caused severe harm to asylum-seekers who were turned away at ports of entry. The brief also argued that under the United States’ treaty obligations and federal law, immigration officials must provide asylum-seekers a fair chance to make their claims, and turning away asylum-seekers is a direct contradiction of these obligations.