A group of people in a caravan are walking along a road towards the US border in Mexico.
The Biden administration struck a deal with the Mexican government that will allow asylum seekers to stay in Mexico until their court date in the US.
The program will restart at one border location on Monday and will eventually involve seven entry points, including San Diego and the Texas cities of Laredo, El Paso and Brownsville, NBC News reported.
The policy was implemented by Donald Trump in the year 2019.
President Joe Biden ended the policy in June after suspending it on his first day in office.
Texas and Missouri sued the Biden administration over the program's suspension. In August, a federal judge in Texas ordered the administration to put the policy back in place until the outcome of the lawsuit. The Supreme Court blocked the administration from ending the policy.
The U.S. has been working with the Mexican government on how to reestablish the program.
The Department of Homeland Security said in a press release that key changes will be made to the policy to address humanitarian concerns.
Under the revised policy, the U.S. will aim to conclude immigration court proceedings within six months of an individual returning to Mexico. Migrants subject to the policy used to wait months, if not years, to see an immigration judge.
Adult migrants will be offered the chance to get vaccinations, according to a Department of Homeland Security press release. Inoculations won't be compulsory.
The U.S. will make sure that those subject to the policy have access to legal counsel before and during immigration court hearings, and that there are safe and secure shelters available for those staying in Mexico.
The Mexican government raised a number of humanitarian concerns over the "Remain in Mexico" policy. The government wanted the U.S. to give migrants more resources and speed up immigration court procedures.
The Mexican Foreign Ministry said in a press release that the government of Mexico reiterates the importance of strengthening development cooperation to address the root causes of migration. It reiterates the goal of administering a migration policy that respects migrants' human rights to achieve orderly, safe and regular migration in the region.
In October, Alejandro Mayorkas, the Secretary of Homeland Security, issued a memo that shared humanitarian concerns about the policy.
He said that it imposed substantial and unjustifiable human costs on the thousands of migrants who waited in Mexico and failed to provide the fair process and humanitarian protections that all persons deserve.
Mayorkas said that migrants sent to Mexico under the policy have been subject to extreme violence by criminal organizations.
According to Human Rights First, there were at least 1,544 documented cases of rape, kidnapping, assault, and other crimes committed against individuals sent back under MPP.
Human Rights First said in a press release that policies that violate asylum laws and treaties are inhumane and unjust. They deliver people seeking protection to places where they are targets of brutal attacks and kidnappings by corrupt Mexican officers every day.
The return of the "Remain in Mexico" policy comes as the Biden administration faces fierce criticism for its handling of the highest number of migrant encounters along the U.S.-Mexico border in two decades.
Republican lawmakers have accused Biden of not taking more of a hardline stance to curb immigration, and of encouraging open borders, which they claim is causing the spread of Covid-19.
The U.S.-Mexico border remains open as it has ever been, according to Rep. Tony Gonzales. He called on the Biden administration to restart the "Remain in Mexico" program.
The administration has received backlash for not rolling back the policies of the former president.
Title 42 is a second Trump-era policy used by the Biden administration. The policy allows for the rapid expulsion of migrants from the U.S. without giving them the chance to apply for asylum.
The CDC said in August that Title 42 would remain in effect until there was no danger of non-U.S. citizens bringing Covid-19 into the country. The health law does not apply to accompanied children.
Title 42 has been defended by the Biden administration.
Title 42 is not an immigration policy, but a Centers for Disease Control public health authority, according to Mayorkas.
Mayorkas said in an interview with Yahoo News that they view it as a public health imperative.
