The MPP Program and Border Security Joint Statement by Assistant to the President and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and Assistant to the President and Homeland Security Advisor Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall

by Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall and Jacob Jeremiah Sullivan

Starting February 19, the United States will begin to process eligible individuals in the Migration Protection Protocols (MPP) program to pursue their asylum cases in the US, working closely with the Government of Mexico, as well as international and non-governmental organizations.

Individuals should not take any action at this time and should remain where they are to await further instructions. We will soon announce a virtual registration process that will be accessible from any location.

Once registered, eligible individuals will be provided additional information about where and when to present themselves. Individuals should not approach the border until instructed to do so.

We caution people seeking to immigrate to the United States that our borders are not open, and that this is just the first phase in the administration’s work to reopen access to an orderly asylum process.

This new process applies to individuals who were returned to Mexico under the MPP program and have cases pending before the Executive Office for Immigration Review.

Individuals outside of the United States who were not returned to Mexico under MPP or who do not have active immigration court cases will not be considered for participation in this first phase of this program and should await further instructions.

If you seek entry into the US and do not have an active MPP case, you will be immediately expelled and will not be permitted to remain in the United States.

People who attempt to cross the border without going through ports of entry should understand that you are putting yourselves and your families in danger, especially during a global pandemic.

President Biden is committed to immigration reform in the long term, but it will take time. The immigration reform legislation that President Biden sent to the Congress only applies to individuals who were in the United States before January 1, 2021.

This is a crucial first step to communicate our respect for human rights and human dignity, which includes abiding by legal processes and health and safety protocols.