CBP one shutdown leaves migrants in limbo at border
On the day of former President Donald Trump's inauguration, the government application CBP One, which was used by migrants to submit legal visa applications, stopped functioning.
The CBP One application was introduced by Joe Biden's administration to reduce illegal crossings of the Mexico-U.S. border. It was the only way to schedule an appointment to apply for asylum. According to data from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, since January 2023, more than 936,000 people have used it to schedule appointments.
But on Trump's first day in office, the application was shut down. All previously scheduled asylum appointments were canceled.
Due to the decision of the new administration, hundreds of migrants were stuck at border crossings between Mexico and the U.S. Migrants interviewed by journalists expressed their despair.
"I never tried to cross the wall; I never tried to flee, even though many friends said, 'Come on, you can cross with your family, you're with your children.' But I said, 'No, I will wait for the appointment, I will do everything properly,'" said one migrant in an interview with CNN.
An asylum appointment for Julio Alberto Hernandez from El Salvador was scheduled for just three days later.
"I was so happy because I was going to enter the U.S. to support my children," Hernandez told NBC News journalists. "But now we are devastated because everything has been canceled," he added.
Recordings appeared on social media from the Mexican border. In the video, 48-year-old Margelis Tinoco is seen calling family members and friends, saying her asylum appointment was canceled.
Source: CNN, NBC News
