Hours after President Donald Trump was sworn in on Jan. 20, the mobile app that allowed migrants to apply to enter the U.S. legally as asylum-seekers, CBP One, was shut down, leaving thousands of people in limbo.
The app was set up under the Biden administration as a way to curb illegal crossings in the southwest border. With the app gone, existing appointments for asylum seekers were canceled. And according to Mexican officials, more than 30,000 migrants are now stranded across the territory.
Alberto Xicoténcatl Carrasco, director of Casa del Migrante in Saltillo, Coahuila, said on Jan. 21 that soon enough shelters will be overpopulated as migrants are no longer receiving appointments to seek legal status in the U.S.
"There were 3,000 appointments that were already scheduled, but they were cancelled when the app shut down. We also have knowledge about 30,000 people were on the waitlist when that happened," said Carrasco.
"That means that as of right now, there are more than 33,000 migrants all over Mexico that don't know what to do next," added the activist.
According to news outlet Proceso, shelters in Coahuila cities such as Piedras Negras, Torreón and Saltillo are currently at low occupancy due to freezing temperatures in the state, which has slowed down the arrival of more migrants or just redirected them to a different route.
Carrasco doubts that Trump's mass deportation threat will have immediate effects, as he said deporting millions of migrants will not be an easy task to carry out due to the elevated costs and legal restrictions.
"Trump's national emergency was just him taking a political stance. They are trying to criminalize migration by sending troops to the border just to strengthen his discourse about how migrants are dangerous people," Carrasco added.
She insisted that CBP One should be kept as this would "alleviate the tension in the northern border of Mexico and the southern border of the U.S."
Sheinbaum said she and her administration "insist there is a possibility to get asylum, not only from the border in person, but from a distance in the southern part of the country or in other countries."
"That's what we're working on," she added.
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