Annunciation House says 25 asylum seekers to enter El Paso daily starting Friday
EL PASO, Texas -- Ruben Garcia, the director of Annunciation House, said his organization expects to receive 25 asylum-seekers daily enrolled in the Migrant Protection Protocol (MPP) program once they are allowed to enter the U.S. through El Paso beginning Friday.
The MPP, also known as the “Remain in Mexico” program was implemented under the Trump administration and is now being brought to an end by President Biden. As part of the process of ending MPP, refugees waiting in Mexico whose asylum cases are still active and current will be allowed into the U.S. while they await immigration proceedings.
El Paso is one of three border cities designated as entry points for MPP refugees and the first of those refugees entering through El Paso will occur on Friday.
Given the national attention being given to the unwinding of the MPP program, the Annunciation House leader noted that asylum-seekers would be tested for Covid-19 and given a health screening before being allowed into the U.S.; anyone found to be infected would have to quarantine in Mexico.
