WASHINGTON _ The United States and Mexico announced that migrants will be forced to wait in Mexico while their asylum cases are processed in the United States, a sweeping change to U.S. policy that will alter life for tens of thousands of Central Americans stuck on the border.
The "historic" measures would "bring the illegal immigration crisis under control," Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen said Thursday.
"'Catch and release' will be replaced with 'catch and return,'" Nielsen said in a statement.
Mexico's embassy to the United States said Mexico will allow third-party nationals or non-Mexican migrants to remain in the country while they await a hearing before a U.S. immigration judge, on a "temporary basis" and due to "humanitarian reasons."
U.S. asylum proceedings frequently take months and sometimes as much as two years two complete.
The policy would be a major change for Mexico, which traditionally has refused to accept the return of migrants who aren't Mexican.
The announcement comes as negotiations continue over President Donald Trump's threat to shut down the government on Saturday over his pledged border wall and money for border security. The House is expected to vote Thursday on a measure passed by the Senate late Wednesday night to fund the government through February.
