US President Joe Biden is seeking to reboot the MPP and subsequently start turning away asylum seekers at the US-Mexico border, according to a new report from Axios.
Citing two government immigration officials, the report detailed that Biden's version of the so-called Remain in Mexico program will include COVID-19 vaccine opportunities for migrant adults. The jab is simply an offer, and would not be required otherwise.
The policy will initially be reimplemented in San Diego, California, and at the Texas border cities of El Paso and Brownsville, according to one Department of Homeland Security (DHS) official.
DHS spokesperson Marsha Espinosa stated that the timeline of reinstating the MPP will be up to the Mexican government.
"We cannot do so until we have the independent agreement from the Government of Mexico to accept those we seek to enroll in MPP," Espinosa said in a quoted statement. "We will communicate to the court, and to the public, the timing of reimplementation when we are prepared to do so."
So-called vulnerable populations will be exempt from the program, although it is unclear who will fall into that category, per the report.
The push to reimplement the policy comes in accordance with an August decision by US District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk, a federal judge appointed by former US President Donald Trump.
The Texas-based judge argued that the Biden administration and DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas "failed to consider several critical factors" before halting the program.
For example, career DHS personnel warned that suspension of the MPP and other related policies "would lead to a resurgence of illegal aliens attempting to illegally cross the border," according to Kacsmaryk's ruling.
The Supreme Court later rejected the Biden administration's request to block the lower court's decision.