Biden reopens southern border to waiting asylum-seekers

The United States will allow some migrants with incomplete asylum proceedings to enter from Mexico next week. About 700,000 people since January 2019 enrolled in the Trump administration’s Migrant Protection Protocols, which made asylum-seekers wait in Mexico while their cases were processed. The Biden administration on Friday announced about 25,000 of them can cross the border soon.

Are officials ready? Two border crossings plan to process about 300 people a day, with a third port of entry taking fewer. Authorities have not identified the locations out of concern it would trigger a rush. President Joe Biden has pledged to reverse the previous administration’s immigration policies and raise the refugee cap.

Dig deeper: Read Charissa Koh’s report in Compassion about the migrant children in the United States’ care who are still waiting to reunite with their parents.