Trump tweets migrants will stay in Mexico until asylum claims approved; incoming Mexican official says no deal

President Trump asserted Saturday night that migrants seeking asylum in the U.S. will be forced to stay in Mexico while their claims are individually processed, though an incoming Mexican government official claimed his country had not agreed to such a policy.

“Migrants at the Southern Border will not be allowed into the United States until their claims are individually approved in court. We only will allow those who come into our Country legally,” Trump wrote on Twitter.

“Other than that our very strong policy is Catch and Detain. No ‘Releasing’ into the U.S. All will stay in Mexico,” he continued. “If for any reason it becomes necessary, we will CLOSE our Southern Border.”

Migrants at the Southern Border will not be allowed into the United States until their claims are individually approved in court. We only will allow those who come into our Country legally. Other than that our very strong policy is Catch and Detain. No “Releasing” into the U.S…

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 24, 2018

….All will stay in Mexico. If for any reason it becomes necessary, we will CLOSE our Southern Border. There is no way that the United States will, after decades of abuse, put up with this costly and dangerous situation anymore!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 24, 2018

{mosads}Mexico’s soon-to-be interior minister said, however, on Saturday there was no agreement between the two countries to keep asylum seekers in Mexico.

“There is no agreement of any sort between the incoming Mexican government and the U.S. government,” Olga Sanchez told The Associated Press in a statement.

Sanchez, who will take office with Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador’s administration on Dec. 1, contradicted an earlier statement given to The Washington Post that said the U.S. and Mexico had agreed to such a policy as a “short-term” solution.

Her statement to the AP did not address the discrepancy between her two comments.

The president’s tweets on Saturday served as confirmation of a report that his administration was considering a policy termed “Remain in Mexico” that would force migrants seeking asylum in the U.S. to wait in Mexico, breaking with current policy.

Under the policy, asylum seekers would have to establish a “reasonable fear” of persecution in Mexico to be allowed into the U.S. while their claims are processed, according to memos obtained by the Post.

The measure is the latest effort from the Trump administration to crack down on immigration, particularly in response to a so-called “caravan” of Honduran, Guatemalan and El Salvadorian migrants making its way toward the U.S. border from Central America.

The president has in recent weeks painted the group as an imminent national security threat, deployed troops to the border and signed a proclamation preventing certain immigrants from declaring asylum. The latter measure was halted by a federal judge last week.

Trump added on Sunday morning that Mexico should stop migrant groups “long before they get to our Southern Border,” and that the countries the migrants are fleeing should prevent the groups from forming in the first place. 

Would be very SMART if Mexico would stop the Caravans long before they get to our Southern Border, or if originating countries would not let them form (it is a way they get certain people out of their country and dump in U.S. No longer). Dems created this problem. No crossings!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 25, 2018

Experts have noted that human rights laws prevent governments from prohibiting its citizens from leaving.