Trump's first move: CBP one app shut down, asylum hopes dashed
On the day of President Donald Trump's inauguration, the government application CBP One, which migrants used to submit a legal visa application, ceased functioning.
The CBP One application was introduced by Joe Biden's administration to reduce illegal crossings of the Mexico-US border. It was the only way to schedule an appointment to apply for asylum. According to data from the American Customs and Border Protection, since January 2023, more than 936,000 people have used it to schedule appointments.
But on Donald Trump's first day in office, the application was shut down. All previously scheduled asylum appointments were cancelled.
Due to the decision of the new American administration, hundreds of migrants were stranded at border crossings between Mexico and the USA. 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.
The appointment for asylum 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 USA) to support my children, Hernandez told NBC News journalists. - But now we are devastated because everything has been cancelled, he added.
Recordings appeared on social media from the Mexican border. In the video, 48-year-old Margelis Tinoco is calling family members and friends and says her asylum appointment was cancelled.
Source: CNN, NBC News
