Today, as a survivor of the first implementation of the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP), also known as "Remain in Mexico," I feel compelled to raise my voice against the reimplementation of this program. Far from offering protection, the MPP is a mechanism of exclusion that condemns thousands of migrants to violence, neglect, and uncertainty.
The narrative behind this program is profoundly misleading. MPP dehumanizes those fleeing violence in search of safety, forcing them to remain in precarious and dangerous conditions in border regions. During the program's first execution, I witnessed and experienced its devastating consequences firsthand: migrants living in unsanitary camps, without access to basic services, facing kidnappings, extortion, daily assaults, and even murders.
In addition to these human rights violations, the MPP systematically denies migrants their right to due process. Forcing individuals to remain in unsafe locations with little to no access to legal representation creates insurmountable barriers to fairly presenting their asylum claims. Many are unable to attend court hearings due to insecurity, lack of transportation, or inadequate notice, and even those who do often lack access to legal counsel. Without legal guidance, navigating the complex asylum process becomes an impossible task for most, leaving them vulnerable to unjust denials and deportation to the very dangers they fled.
The impact of the MPP cannot be reduced to numbers or statistics. Behind every figure is a life, a family, a story. These are mothers unable to protect their children, LGBTQ+ individuals exposed to violence in hostile environments, and Indigenous communities facing language barriers while trying to survive. This program violates fundamental principles of international law, such as the principle of non-refoulement, which prohibits sending people to places where their lives or freedoms are at risk.
The MPP also perpetuates a dangerous narrative: the idea that migrants are a threat. This systematic criminalization diverts attention from the structural causes driving the search for asylum and jeopardizes the solidarity and humanity that should guide our responses.
It is urgent to dismantle this program and adopt policies that genuinely protect migrants. This includes establishing fair and efficient asylum processes, ensuring access to dignified shelters, providing adequate medical and psychological support, and delivering effective legal protection.
My experience as a victim of this program has left a lifelong mark, but it has also given me the conviction to fight so that others do not have to endure the same. The reimplementation of the MPP is a betrayal of the fundamental values of human rights that we have worked so hard to defend. We cannot allow borders to become walls of suffering.
- Estuardo Cifuentes, Program Manager, Project Corazón