(KMOX) - Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit against President Joe Biden and his administration to demand that the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP) – which was "combating migrant trafficking, securing the border, and ending the border crisis" – be restored.
“The blame for the current crisis at the Southern border should be laid squarely at the feet of President Biden and his administration," Schmitt stated in a press release. "President Biden’s failure to control the massive influx of migrants – an influx invited by his lax policies – has opened the floodgates to human trafficking that will have lasting effects on Missouri and the United States and puts our nationally-recognized efforts to fight human trafficking in jeopardy."
MPP, also known as the "Remain-in-Mexico" police was enacted in 2019 under former President Donald Trump as an agreement with Mexico. The ruling prevented tens of thousands of migrants from entering the U.S. while awaiting hearings.
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The lawsuit comes as a rising number of people are attempting to enter the county along the U.S.-Mexico border. Last month, the U.S. government picked up nearly 19,000 children traveling alone across the Mexican border in March, the largest monthly number ever recorded.
The lawsuit names President Biden, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, and several other members of President Biden’s administration.
"President Biden could immediately remedy the influx of crime pouring across our border by reinstating the Migrant Protection Protocols," Paxton said in a statement. "Dangerous criminals are taking advantage of the lapse in law enforcement and it’s resulting in human trafficking, smuggling, a plethora of violent crimes, and a massive, unprecedented burden on state and federal programs for which taxpayers must foot the bill."
Schmitt posted a series of tweets about the "current crisis at the border" on Monday:
Last month, Schimtt announced his plans to run for the U.S Senate seat from Missouri that will open up in 2022 after the retirement of current Sen. Roy Blunt.
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