Washington – According to government data obtained by CBS, an estimated 270,000 migrants are waiting on the Mexican side of the U.S.-Mexico border, hoping to get an appointment to enter the U.S. through the system that was newly created. President-elect Donald Trump has vowed to end it. news.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection estimates there are about 270,000 migrants in Mexico trying to get appointments distributed through a government app called cbp oneWhich the Biden administration has turned into the main gateway to the US asylum system.
Now, those migrants, many of whom are from countries outside Mexico like crisis-hit Haiti and Venezuela, are at risk of suddenly losing the ability to enter the U.S., both Trump and the South Dakota governor said. Kristi Noem is her nominee for Homeland Security to lead the department swore off To shut down CBP One.
The app allows migrants in some parts of Mexico to request a time to be processed by U.S. immigration authorities at legal border entry points, also called ports of entry. The Biden administration has set up the process as part of a broader effort to discourage illegal immigration by offering migrants a legal channel to come to the US. Under this system, those seeking entry to the US are allowed to apply for a work permit as well as asylum in immigration courts. Near their respective destinations.
As of Jan. 16, about 919,000 migrants were allowed into the U.S. through the CBP One App process, which was established in January 2023, according to an internal government report obtained by CBS News. It's unclear what plans the incoming administration has for people already admitted through the app, although people with pending asylum requests will not be deported unless they lose their case.
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Demand for CBP One appointments has been exceptionally high, far exceeding the daily limit of 1,450 imposed on appointments by the Biden administration. Internal reports show that in the last two years, migrants have tried to secure an appointment more than 166 million times by repeatedly logging into the app to try their luck. Due to high demand waiting times typically extend to months.
Because appointments are distributed 21 days in advance of entry dates, approximately 30,000 migrants are currently scheduled to enter the US under the CBP One system over the next three weeks. Appointments for the incoming administration are scheduled for early February.
It is unclear whether the Trump administration will honor those appointments. Even if CBP One is abolished, any efforts to stop the processing of migrants at ports of entry will face legal challenges because federal courts have ruled that U.S. refugee laws Is necessary Authorities will process some asylum claimants at these entry points.
Officials with the outgoing Biden administration warned that eliminating CBP One could lead some of those waiting for appointments to enter the US illegally, which could potentially be counterproductive. current four-year low In illegal border crossing.
During its first three years, the Biden administration struggled to stem an unprecedented wave of illegal immigration, with CBP processing record numbers of migrants. But illegal border entries declined in 2024, largely due to increased efforts by Mexico to prevent migrants from reaching the US and a move by President Biden in June. severely restricting asylum,
Some experts predicted a rise in illegal crossings before Trump's inauguration, but it never happened. In fact, the Border Patrol is on track to record fewer than 35,000 apprehensions of migrants in January, the lowest level since June 2020, when the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic led to a dramatic drop in migration Was.
Interior Border Patrol data shows the agency faced an average of more than 1,000 apprehensions per day in January, down nearly 90% from the record-setting month of December 2023, when an average of more than 8,000 migrants were apprehended illegally each day. Used to enter America from.
Illegal border crossings have fallen so sharply that the trigger to deactivate Mr. Biden's asylum restrictions is set to be reached next week, two U.S. officials told CBS News. by this your terms, The policy will be gradually deactivated when the average daily illegal crossings remains below 1,500 for 28 days. However, this rule could be struck down or modified by the Trump administration.
Andrea Flores, who worked on immigration policy at the White House during Mr Biden's first year in office, said migrants “will have no choice but to make unauthorized crossings” if the CBP One process is halted.
“The numbers at the border may be down, but this is an absolutely unsustainable situation that is entirely dependent on Mexico to maintain,” said Flores, who is now vice president of policy at FWD.US, a bipartisan group that Supports some liberal immigration policies, including a path to U.S. citizenship for undocumented immigrants.
Trump's transition team did not respond to questions about CBP One, including whether officials were concerned that eliminating the system could lead to an increase in illegal border crossings.
Trump has vowed to move quickly and aggressively on reshaping federal immigration policy after being sworn in on Monday. Promise To begin mass deportations and undo the policies of the Biden administration.
Other Biden-era immigration programs in Trump's sights include an initiative that allows citizens of Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela to fly to the US if they have American sponsors. Policy, known as CHNVIt was also designed to reduce illegal immigration from these countries.
Authorities have admitted about 532,000 migrants under the CHNV program, but their fate is unclear as the Biden administration has refused to extend their two-year permits to remain in the US, and Trump officials have threatened to end the policy. Have talked about.
The government of Mexico agreed to accept from US authorities some non-Mexican deportees, including Venezuelans, on the condition that the US accept migrants under the CHNV initiative. Mexico has not yet said what impact the potential end of the program would have on that arrangement.
The incoming administration will also need Mexico's cooperation to fulfill one of its campaign promises: reinstating the so-called remain-in-Mexico policy that requires migrants to wait for their asylum cases outside the US.
Matthew Hudak, a longtime senior Border Patrol officer who retired last year, said he wasn't “necessarily a fan of it” when CBP One was created, but he said the policy was designed to help people enter the border. There are certain “values” as to prevent from. into the US illegally through the Rio Grande or other parts of the border.
But Hudak said the incoming administration should make the criteria for allowing into the country through CBP One “more stringent.” He said Trump officials should prepare their policy plan on the border before the spring, when migration has historically surged.
“Now is the window of time,” Hudak said, “in which the (Trump) administration has the opportunity to set consequences, to implement things that could send a message that ultimately becomes a deterrent factor in people's decision-making.” Is.” Make that illegal entry.”
