# Plain Language Summary: Make the Migrant Protection Protocols Mandatory Act of 2025

This bill makes a specific immigration policy mandatory instead of optional. Currently, immigration officials have the choice to use something called the Migrant Protection Protocols when they encounter people seeking asylum at the border. This bill would remove that choice and require them to always use these protocols.

So what are the Migrant Protection Protocols? This is a policy that requires asylum seekers to wait in Mexico while their cases are processed in the United States, rather than being allowed to stay in the U.S. during the waiting period. Under current law, officials can decide whether to apply this policy on a case-by-case basis. This bill would make it the default approach that must be used for asylum seekers, with no discretion for officials to make exceptions.

The practical effect would be significant for people seeking asylum at the southern border. Instead of potentially being released into the U.S. while their asylum claim is reviewed—a process that can take months or years—they would be required to remain in Mexico throughout their case. This could affect tens of thousands of people annually who arrive at the border seeking protection. For supporters of the policy, this is intended to deter asylum applications and manage border crossings. For critics, it raises concerns about the safety and conditions for migrants waiting in Mexico, as well as questions about whether people can effectively pursue their legal claims from outside the country.

Make the Migrant Protection Protocols Mandatory Act of 2025

Williams, Roger

Make the Migrant Protection Protocols Mandatory Act of 2025This bill requires the Department of Justice (DOJ) to remove certain non-U.S. nationals (aliens under federal law) from the United States while such an individual's application for admission is pending.Specifically, if such an individual arrived by land from a foreign country bordering the United States and the individual is not clearly and beyond a doubt entitled to admission into the United States, DOJ must return that individual to that bordering foreign country while the individual's application for admission is pending. (Currently, DOJ may choose to detain such an individual or return the individual to the bordering foreign country while the application for admission is pending.)