Hundreds Of Migrants Attempt To Force Their Way Into US At Mexico Border

U.S. authorities prevented hundreds of largely Venezuelan migrants from getting into the country from Mexico on Sunday, after a sizable group attempted to cross the border illegally, only to be thwarted by barbed wire, barriers and shields.

The migrants congregated at the border in the Mexican border city of Ciudad Juarez, but they were unable to get into the United States because they were having trouble getting appointments to apply for asylum via a new U.S. government app.

Many of the migrants had small children with them.

Images provided by Reuters show that at one point some migrants tried to hurl an orange, plastic barrier at the U.S. line. Some people said pepper spray was deployed to repel them.

"Please, we just want to get in so we can help our families," said Camila Paz, an 18-year-old Venezuelan, sobbing heavily. "So I can have a future and help my family."

Requests for comment were not immediately answered by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) or the national migration office of the Mexican government.

The migrants eventually dispersed after some pushing and shoving with the authorities. Some of them proceeded to the Rio Grande's banks where they were observed by American immigration authorities stationed on the opposite bank.

Since the Biden administration made the CBP One app available to them in an effort to speed up applications, many migrants have grown tired of the lengthy asylum procedure.

They claim the app is troubled by recurring bugs and heavy usage, leaving them stranded in dangerous border regions. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has said recent app updates will simplify and speed up the process.

Paz, who called her condition "horrible, horrible," claimed that she had been attempting to cross the border for a month, watching her money vanish and getting no closer to claiming asylum.

"We want answers please," she said, "the (CBP One) application has done absolutely nothing for us."

On Oct. 28, 2020, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) launched the CBP One mobile application on the Apple App and Google Play stores.

CBP One is a mobile application that serves as a single portal to a variety of CBP services. Through a series of guided questions, the app will direct each type of user to the appropriate services based on their needs.

Currently, CBP One is available for land travelers to submit their traveler information in advance prior to their border crossing into the United States, air travelers to request an inspection of biological and agricultural products upon their air arrival into the U.S., brokers/carriers/forwarders to make appointments for the inspection of perishable cargo, travelers to apply for and view their I-94s and permission-based use for International Organizations (IOs) to verify the status of individuals in CBP Programs.

Additional services will be rolled out over the next year. Eventually, aircraft operators, bus operators, seaplane pilots, commercial truck drivers, and commercial vessel operators will be able to use CBP One.