FOX FIRST: A group of House Republicans are working hard to codify “Remain in Mexico,” a cornerstone of President-elect Donald Trump’s first-term border policy.
First-term Rep. Brandon Gill (R-Texas) is leading the effort, which was first shared on Fox News Digital on Thursday.
His bill would require the Department of Homeland Security to reinstate the Migrant Protection Protocols, commonly known as Remain in Mexico.
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President-elect Donald Trump speaks at the U.S.-Mexico border on August 22, 2024 (Rebecca Noble/Getty Images)
“The American people gave President Trump and the Republican Party a mandate to secure our border. As a first step to securing our border and solving the problems Democrats have created for our country, Congress must pass the Remain in Mexico Act. We have to,” Gill told Fox News Digital.
The policy, enacted by President Trump in January 2019, requires migrants seeking asylum to wait to be processed in Mexico at the southwestern U.S. border.
A federal judge stopped the Biden administration’s attempt to shut down the program, but officials stopped using it for new cases in mid-2022.
President Biden had called for an end to the policy, which has been criticized by human rights and left-wing groups as cruel and inhumane, in light of accusations of rape and other crimes migrants have endured while waiting in Mexico.
The American Civil Liberties Union previously said of the policy, “The Remain in Mexico policy, misleadingly referred to as the ‘Migrant Protection Protocols,’ has caused a humanitarian disaster at the border and been the subject of an ACLU lawsuit since it was first implemented in 2019.” It is targeted,” he said.
Rookie Republican Rep. Brandon Gill is introducing a bill that would codify President-elect Donald Trump’s Remain in Mexico policy. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
But supporters of remaining in Mexico argue this is one of the only viable solutions to help cities and towns on the U.S. side of the border, many of which are home to illegal immigrants and asylum seekers. Infrastructure is under strain due to the large influx of people. .
Mr. Gill introduced the bill about two weeks before Mr. Trump was inaugurated for his second term.
Codifying the policy into federal law would make it much harder for critics to repeal it under another administration.
Since the 119th Congress opened last Friday, Republicans in Congress have rushed to prepare for President Trump’s return with a flurry of conservative legislative proposals.
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Authorities escort two suspects after the death of a National Institute of Migration employee in Samarayuca, Mexico, on the outskirts of Ciudad Juárez, on December 30, 2024. (Reuters/Jose Luis Gonzalez)
A significant number of these bills relate to immigration and the border, which proved to be key issues for Republicans in the November election.
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The House on Tuesday passed the first bill of the session aimed at allowing federal authorities to detain immigrants charged with or convicted of theft-related crimes. More than 40 Democrats, along with all current Republicans, voted in favor of the bill.
President Trump has indicated he wants to spend his first 100 days in office active, especially with Republicans controlling both the House and Senate.
The White House did not respond to requests for comment.
Elizabeth Elkind is a political reporter for FOX News Digital, where she leads coverage of the House of Representatives. Previous digital bylines can be found on the Daily Mail and CBS News.
Follow @liz_elkind on Twitter and send tips to elizabeth.elkind@fox.com.
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