Fewer Asylum Seekers Allowed Into United States Under MPP in May 2021

A new report that we just released today at TRAC shows that the number of immigrants whose cases transferred out of the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP) dropped sharply in May. 4,476 MPP cases had been allowed into the country in April 2021.

This fell to just 1,988 in May.

In total, 10,375 individuals forced to remain in Mexico under MPP have been allowed into the country between January and May. Still 16,138 MPP cases — or 60% of the total — have not been permitted to enter the country.

The slowing of the transfer pace during May was unexpected because the fraction of MPP cases paroled into the country remains small compared to the total number of possible MPP cases. In fact, just under 40 percent of possible MPP cases have been transferred out of MPP courts according to court data.

Highlights from the report are below:

• Overall, 40% of all people with pending MPP cases have been transferred away from the MPP courts — a total of 10,375 people.
• 60% or 16,138 pending MPP cases remain assigned to MPP courts along the US-Mexico border.
• In May, 1,988 MPP cases transferred out of MPP courts, a sharp decline from April when 4,476 cases were moved out of MPP.