Migrant Protection Protocols: An Examination of its Consequences and Impact on Child Enrollees

The Trump administration made major changes to long standing immigration and asylum protocols and practices. Among the changes was the implementation of the 2019 Migrant Protections Protocols (MPP), otherwise known as the “remain in Mexico” program. MPP required asylum seekers to reside in Mexico until their U.S. immigration court hearing. Asylum-seekers, including children, were forced to live in unstable and unsafe conditions. Families were separated and children were forced to endure unanticipated hardships and trauma. Using secondary data of child MPP enrollment from fiscal year (FY) 2019 through FY 2021 and letters from child MPP enrollees, this study explores the consequences and impact of MPP. This paper serves to contextualize the human toll that MPP took on an already vulnerable population.