WASHINGTON —
Asylum seekers under the Trump-era Remain in Mexico policy who had their cases in the U.S. closed — many for reasons beyond their control, including kidnappings and court rulings against the government — will now be able to come into the country to pursue asylum claims, the Biden administration said Tuesday.
The administration on Wednesday will begin to allow the first of thousands with closed cases to pursue their asylum claims within the United States, the Department of Homeland Security announced Tuesday. More than 30,000 migrants could potentially be eligible, according to government data.
“As part of our continued effort to restore safe, orderly, and humane processing at the Southwest Border, DHS will expand the pool” of asylum seekers eligible for processing, the department said in a statement, including those “who had their cases terminated or were ordered removed in absentia.”