The CBP-One mobile app, which allowed migrants to enter the U.S. through ports of entry on the Mexico border, stopped working after Donald Trump took office.
Hundreds of migrants were left stranded in the Mexican city of Tijuana, on the U.S. border, after the Donald Trump administration canceled the CBP-One program, which allowed migrants to request appointments to seek asylum in the U.S. through ports of entry on the Mexico border.
“The worst news I’ve ever received in my life, because we were so close to the goal and not being able to enter by just a couple of hours is very sad, because the journey was so difficult and we don’t know what we’re going to do now because we have nowhere to go,” explained José Rivas, originally from Cuba, near the border line.
Rivas emphasized that it had taken him four months to secure the appointment he had for this Monday, and he had arrived in Tijuana a couple of days ago with the hope of finally being able to enter the United States.
“I can’t go back to Cuba, it’s impossible to return there, so I don’t know, maybe try to stay here. I don’t even know what to say,” he said with a worried expression, noting that a group of five Cubans who were traveling together were left without the option to enter the U.S.
The CBP-One mobile app stopped working this Monday, according to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) website.
Through this app, which launched in January 2023, more than 930,000 people presented themselves at ports of entry for authorities to process their cases, according to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
Migrants who had scheduled appointments for this day arrived early near the El Chaparral border crossing, where they usually entered the United States. However, only a group of around 100 people, mostly Venezuelans, were allowed to enter around 5:00 a.m. local time (12:00 GMT).
Migrants in Shock
For her part, Maura Hernández, originally from the Mexican state of Michoacán, said that being able to enter the United States “was a hope” because her city “is very unsafe, with many deaths, and everything is very bad.”
“I have four children, and I was looking for refuge for them, but now I don’t know what will happen. I’m in shock and can’t believe it yet, but I have to accept things as they are,” she said.
For the young mother, this situation is difficult because she had a purpose that vanished in an instant. Additionally, this is her first time in Tijuana, and she doesn’t know anything about the city.
“I spent an entire year trying to request an appointment every day. I had just gotten it, and today I received an email canceling it (…) and how heartless the (U.S.) government is because they don’t know all the sacrifices we made to get here, and how inhumane it is to do this, especially to us who already had the appointment,” she lamented.
Awaiting Official Information
From the Ágape Misión Mundial shelter in the border city, its director, Albert Rivera, shared in an interview with media that in communication with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents, he was informed that they had entered a period of transition with Trump’s arrival, so more concrete actions resulting from the cancellation of CBP-One will be implemented in the coming hours.
“The current instructions are that all appointments are being canceled, but migrants who are approaching to request information are being received through Mexican migration modules to wait for their appointment time, with no guarantee they will be accepted, but awaiting further official information,” he stated.
Regarding the deportations announced by Trump, only two people were recorded leaving through the El Chaparral border crossing this Monday morning. On this matter, Milton, an activist from the organization Life After Deportation, told EFE that they expect larger flows of deportees to begin early Tuesday morning.
