The Biden administration on Friday announced plans for tens of thousands of asylum-seekers waiting in Mexico for their next immigration court hearings to be allowed into the United States while their cases proceed.

The first of an estimated 25,000 asylum-seekers in Mexico with active cases will be allowed in the United States on Feb. 19, authorities said. They plan to start slowly with two border crossings each processing up to 300 people a day and a third crossing taking fewer. Administration officials declined to name them out of fear they may encourage a rush of people to those locations.

The move is a major step toward dismantling one of former President Donald Trump’s most consequential policies to deter asylum-seekers from coming to the U.S. About 70,000 asylum-seekers were enrolled in “ Remain in Mexico,” officially called “Migrant Protection Protocols,” since it was introduced in January 2019.

Authorities charged a Minnesota man with murder on Thursday in an attack on a health clinic that left a medical assistant dead and four other staff members wounded.

Charges filed against Gregory Ulrich describe an attack on an Allina Health clinic that was similar to a mass shooting he had threatened to carry out there in the past.

Law enforcement said after the attack that Ulrich was no stranger to them and was known to have been angry over his medical treatment. But on Thursday, they said they had had no “recent” interactions with Ulrich that would have raised alarms before the attack in Buffalo.

St. Thomas President Julie Sullivan and the St. Thomas Undergraduate Student Government held a student town hall meeting over Zoom Thursday night to update St. Thomas community members on the transition from Division III to Division I, the new STEAM Complex, the university’s 2025 strategic plan, commencement, study abroad amid COVID-19, sustainability initiatives and changes to residence life.

Kayla Mayer can be reached at maye8518@stthomas.edu.