By Lizbeth Diaz

MEXICO CITY (Reuters – Wednesday’s return of migrants from Mexico to Tijuana by the United States was a continuation of a Trump-era program, which requires asylum seekers to sit in Mexico for U.S. court cases.

Last month, the United States and Mexico agreed to revive the controversial Migrant Protection Protocols scheme (MPP) in accordance with a U.S. federal Court order.

U.S. President Joe Biden (a Democrat) has been unable to undo many harsh immigration policies that were put in place by Donald Trump’s Republican predecessor.

Biden ended the MPP shortly after his January inauguration, as he wanted to take a humane approach towards immigration. A federal judge found that Biden’s decision was not in accordance with proper procedures and ordered the reinstatement of MPP.

In December, the program was relaunched at an international crossing linking El Paso (Texas) and Ciudad Juarez. According to U.N. International Organization of Migration (OIM), more than 200 migrants have returned to Mexico since the MPP relaunch.

An OIM official told Reuters that two migrants were returned from California to Tijuana.

Al Otro Lado, a migrant rights advocate group, stated to Reuters that both men were Colombian nationals.

Neither U.S. Customs and Border Protection(CBP) or Mexico’s immigration agent responded promptly to inquiries for comment.

Advocacy groups as well as the United Nations Refugee Agency have condemned the Trump-era policy’s reintroduction. The United Nations warned migrants that they could be kidnapped or raped and threatened with extortion at dangerous Mexican border cities.

The 2019 original program meant that around 70,000 immigrants seeking asylum had to wait for their U.S. court dates in Mexico, sometimes for years. They were not allowed to go to the United States to face their cases.