US human rights groups have criticised the reinstatement of a Trump-era policy requiring asylum seekers to wait in Mexico while claims are processed.
The American Immigration Council said it was a dark day for the US and the rule of law.
US President Joe Biden had suspended the policy, calling it “inhumane”, but was ordered by courts to resume it.
Under the policy, thousands of migrants were forced to stay in dangerous conditions on the Mexican border.
But Republicans have welcomed the decision as a way to restore order in the border regions.
Mexico has now agreed to accept the policy, known as Remain in Mexico, in exchange for concessions such as a shorter turnaround time for asylum decisions and a US-Mexico development programme for Central America.
Why is Remain in Mexico back?
Former US President Donald Trump introduced the programme, then known as the Migrant Protection Protocols, to send more than 60,000 asylum applicants back to Mexico.
Migrants were often left waiting in Mexico for months, where they sometimes fell prey to criminal gangs.
According to charity Human Rights First, there have been more than 1,500 publicly reported cases of kidnapping, rape, torture and other abuses against migrants returned to Mexico.
Mr Biden suspended the programme almost immediately after taking office, as part of a campaign pledge to reverse hardline immigration policies enacted by his predecessor.
In June, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas terminated the policy.
The Biden administration is appealing against the decision.
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said on Thursday that the president stood by past remarks about the “unjustified human costs” of the programme.
“But we also believe in following the law,” she said.
The policy has been revamped to address Mexico’s concerns, including to limit time spent for each asylum application to six months.
Implementation is expected to begin next week at ports of entry in Texas and California.
BBC
