Here's what Arizona's congressional delegation is saying about the Supreme Court's 'Remain in Mexico' ruling
The Supreme Court's 5-4 decision to allow President Joe Biden's administration to end the Trump-era "Remain in Mexico" policy drew outrage Thursday from Arizona's congressional Republicans and applause from the state's Democrats.
Also known as the Migrant Protection Protocols, the "Remain in Mexico" program, which started in 2019, mandated that certain people applying for asylum in the United States at the U.S.-Mexico border would have to stay in Mexico while their cases were processed.
Biden's win in the court comes among a series of setbacks in the judicial system over immigration. That includes a May decision by a federal judge who blocked Biden from ending the controversial border health rule known as Title 42, first implemented in 2020 in reaction to COVID-19, that allows the government to quickly remove asylum seekers.
The Supreme Court's ruling on the "Remain in Mexico" policy was met with mixed feelings by Arizona's representatives on Capitol Hill, with Republicans criticizing and Democrats supporting the decision.
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Here is what they had to say:
Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., who serves a district that includes Mesa, Gilbert and Queen Creek, tweeted: "Joe Biden has created the worst border crisis in our nation's history. Terminating 'Remain in Mexico' will only make the crisis worse. Just because the Court says you can doesn't mean you should."
Rep. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz.,who represents a Phoenix-based district tweeted: "Here's one commonsense ruling from this Court. Glad to see SCOTUS confirm that administrations have the right to determine their own policies. With this roadblock is out of the way, let's move to reforming our broken immigration system."
Rep. Raúl Grijalva, D-Ariz., who represents part of Tucson and southwestern Arizona, reacted in three tweets:
"SCOTUS' decision to allow the Biden administration to end Remain in Mexico is a relief from the week of unprecedented cases, but this does not change the fact that thousands of migrants remain exposed to dangerous conditions as a result of this cruel policy."
"The Biden administration must move to immediately terminate Remain in Mexico."
"Now is the time to fix our broken immigration system and ensure a process that is just, humane and fair. We are reminded of the urgency of action on immigration from the deaths of 54 migrants in San Antonio who sought a better life in this country."
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Rep. Debbie Lesko, R-Ariz., whose district includes Glendale, Surprise and Peoria, tweeted: "I am deeply disappointed to see that (the Supreme Court) is allowing the Biden Admin to end Remain in Mexico. Our Border Patrol agents are already overwhelmed by the invasion at our southern border. Ending this will only create an even more catastrophic border crisis."
Rep. David Schweikert, R-Ariz., whose district covers Paradise Valley and much of Scottsdale, tweeted: "As the chaos at our Southern Border worsens, President Biden is working harder than ever to open our borders even more. His determination to terminate the 'Remain in Mexico' policy will only make his crisis worse."
Republican Rep. Paul Gosar and Democratic Reps. Ann Kirkpatrick, Tom O'Halleran and Greg Stanton did not respond to The Arizona Republic's requests for comment.
Tara Kavaler is a politics reporter at The Arizona Republic. She can be reached by email at tara.kavaler@arizonarepublic.com or on Twitter @kavalertara.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: What AZ reps are saying about SCOTUS 'Remain in Mexico' ruling
