Mexico Working On App That Would Let Migrants Tell Relatives And Consulates If They Are About To Be Detained In The U.S.

Mexican authorities are working on a cellphone app that would allow migrants to warn family members and authorities if they think they are about to be detained by U.S. immigration forces.

Juan Ramón de la Fuente, Mexico's secretary of foreign affairs, said the app would allow users to press a tab that would send an alert notification to previously chosen relatives and to the nearest Mexican consulate. He described it as a sort of panic button.

"In case you find yourself in a situation where detention is imminent, you push the alert button, and that sends a signal to the nearest consulate," de la Fuente said.

This new app could prove to be a helpful tool for migrants and asylum seekers, as U.S. authorities are obliged to give notice to home-country consulates when a foreign national is detained.

De la Fuente expects the app to be rolled out in January. He did not say whether the app has a de-activation tab that would allow someone to rescind an alert if they were not really detained.

As President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration on Jan. 20 nears, and with it the chances of increased deportations, Mexico says it has fortified its consular staff and legal aid to help migrants in the legal process related to deportations. Officials have also said a new call center has been set up, staffed 24 hours a day to answer migrants' questions.

The new tool for migrants has only been rolled out for small-scale testing, and according to de la Fuente, the app seems to be working efficiently.

Trump vows to get rid of CBP One App

Trump vowed in September to get rid of the app which he referred to as "the Kamala (Harris) phone app for smuggling illegals."

Despite Trump's false claims that the app is used to smuggle migrants into the U.S., the CBP One app has provided nearly 900,000 people with appointments to show up at ports of entry, get screened and petition for asylum, according to figures from the Department of Homeland Security.