Migrants must wait in Mexico during immigration proceedings

The Trump administration will compel certain asylum seekers to remain in Mexico during the course of their asylum hearings, Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen said today.

Nielsen said in a written statement that migrants who arrive at the border “illegally or without proper documentation” could be returned to Mexico for the duration of their immigration proceedings.

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“Aliens trying to game the system to get into our country illegally will no longer be able to disappear into the United States, where many skip their court dates,” she said in the statement. “Instead, they will wait for an immigration court decision while they are in Mexico.“

The announcement came as the secretary was set to testify at an oversight hearing before a House Judiciary Committee this morning. Democrats were expected to grill Nielsen over the death of a 7-year-old girl in Border Patrol custody last week.

The Mexican government will temporarily authorize migrants who have received a notice to attend a hearing before a U.S. immigration judge to wait in Mexico, according to an announcement on the Mexican Foreign Ministry website.