ST. PAUL, Minn. & WASHINGTON —The Center for Victims of Torture™ (CVT) today issued the following statement in response to the Biden administration’s plan, subject to Mexico’s agreement, to re-start the Trump administration’s cruel and inhumane Remain in Mexico policy (known as MPP) in mid-November.

“On the campaign trail, Biden said that the ‘next president will need to take urgent action to end the Trump administration’s draconian policies, grounded in fear and racism rather than fact, work to heal the wounds inflicted on immigrant communities, and restore America’s moral leadership.’ From the continuation of Title 42 expulsions to his administration’s most recent failure to act with the kind of political and practical determination necessary to end MPP (Migrant Protection Protocols), the president’s rhetoric increasingly rings hollow.

“Under MPP, more than 70,000 asylum seekers and migrants have been forced to languish in dangerous Mexican border cities, exposing them to kidnapping, rape and other forms of grave danger. The Biden administration took steps to end MPP shortly after taking office, but the courts ruled that it had done so improperly and ordered the administration to reinstate the program. Less than a week later, CVT joined over 100 organizations in writing to the administration to explain how it could satisfy the court’s concerns.

“If ending MPP was truly a priority, administration officials would have issued a new termination memo for the program weeks ago. That they haven’t done so is a choice; one that will result in needless human suffering for which this administration – not its predecessor – bears responsibility.” –Scott Roehm, CVT Washington director

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The Center for Victims of Torture is a nonprofit organization headquartered in St. Paul, MN, with offices in Atlanta, GA, and Washington, D.C.; and healing initiatives in Africa and the Middle East. Visit www.cvt.org.