US asylum app expanded to Guatemala border

When Venezuelan migrant Yuri Carolina Melendez stepped onto Mexican soil earlier this week, she downloaded an important app she needed to schedule an appointment to file her asylum claim in the U.S.

The CBP One app has been in use for some time, but is now also available to migrants in the southernmost states of Mexico, bordering Guatemala.

That means Melendez and others like her can apply as soon as they enter Mexico, instead of waiting until they are in the central or northern part of the country, as was previously the case.

But Melendez remained skeptical: “I have to wait and see if it really works,” she said as she rested with her two daughters, ages 16 and 18, under a tree along a highway near the city of Tapachula, The Associated Press reported.

Mexico is urging the US to make the app available in its southern regions as well, to prevent migrants from traveling further north to cities like Mexico City.

The government is trying to keep migrants in the south, far from the U.S. border, but shortages of jobs and housing in cities like Tapachula have driven many north.

The hope now is that by applying for asylum earlier, migrants can avoid the dangers of travelling further, such as falling prey to authorities or organised crime groups. With an appointment in hand, they can theoretically move more freely.

The app has given migrants like 31-year-old Germin Alemán from Honduras a glimmer of hope. “We’re going to register here. We’re going to wait for the appointment,” he said as he drove to Tapachula with his wife and three children.

But even with access to the app, the reality for many migrants remains uncertain. Many are burdened by debt and the need to work. Some, like Melendez, feel they have no choice but to keep moving.

CBP One has become a critical tool in the U.S. effort to manage the growing demand for asylum along the southwest border. Since its launch in January 2023, more than 765,000 people have used it to book appointments.

With the Biden administration temporarily suspending asylum for people who cross the border illegally, the app has become one of the few ways to seek protection in the U.S., handling 1,500 appointments a day.

The number of illegal border crossings has fallen significantly since peaking in December 2023. Washington attributes much of this to Mexico’s enforcement actions, including rounding up migrants in the north and sending them back south.

Mexico is pleased with the expansion of CBP One. Foreign Minister Alicia Bárcena said it will be a great help.

But for many migrant and human rights groups, expanding CBP One is not the answer. In an open letter to the Mexican government, dozens of NGOs described the app as a violation of international law.

They said it allows the U.S. to restrict access to its territory for those in need of protection. They also pointed out that many migrants are stuck in Mexico for months, waiting in overcrowded shelters or in unsanitary conditions, vulnerable to kidnapping, sexual abuse and extortion.

Although Mexico’s National Immigration Institute theoretically allows migrants with CBP One designations to travel freely to the U.S. border, NGOs allege that authorities sometimes still detain migrants and send them back south.

The situation in southern Mexico has become increasingly dangerous. Once a relatively peaceful region for its people, it is now embroiled in a violent territorial struggle between powerful drug cartels seeking to control drug, weapons and migrant trafficking routes.

The expansion of CBP One will take effect on Friday,