US Asylum App Expanded to Guatemala Border

The moment Venezuelan migrant Yuri Carolina Melendez stepped onto Mexican soil, earlier this week, she downloaded a crucial app she would need to book an appointment for her U.S. asylum application.
The CBP One app has been in use for a while, but is now available to migrants in Mexico’s southernmost states, bordering Guatemala.
It means Melendez, and others like her, can book their applications as soon as they enter Mexico, rather than wait until they reach the central or northern parts of the country, which had previously been the case.
But Melendez remained skeptical: “I have to wait to see if it really works,” she said as she rested under a tree along a highway near the city of Tapachula with her two daughters, aged 16 and 18, The Associated Press reported.
Mexico has been urging the U.S. to make the app available in its southern regions in a bid to stop migrants from traveling further north to cities such as Mexico City.
Its government has been trying to contain the migrants in the south, far from the U.S. border, but the shortage of work and housing in cities such as Tapachula has driven many northward.
It’s now hoped is that by allowing migrants to apply for asylum earlier on, they may avoid the dangers of traveling further, such as falling prey to authorities or organized crime groups. With an appointment in hand, they can, in theory, move more freely.
The app has given migrants like 31-year-old Germin Alemán from Honduras a glimmer of hope. “We’re going to apply here. We’re going to wait for the appointment,” he said as he and his wife and three children made their way toward Tapachula.
But even with access to the app, the reality for many migrants remains uncertain. Many are pressured by debts and the need to start working. Some, like Melendez, feel they have no choice but to keep moving.
CBP One has become a vital tool in U.S. efforts to manage the growing demand for asylum along its southwestern border. Since its launch in January 2023, more than 765,000 people have used it to schedule appointments.
The Biden administration’s temporary suspension of the asylum process for those crossing illegally has made the app one of the few ways to seek protection in the U.S., with 1,500 appointments handled daily.
Illegal border crossings have gone down considerably since they peaked in December 2023. Washington says much of this is due to Mexico’s enforcement efforts, which include apprehending migrants in the north and sending them back south.
Mexico has welcomed the expansion of CBP One, with Foreign Affairs Secretary Alicia Bárcena stating that it will be a great help.
But for many migrant and human rights groups, CBP One’s expansion is not the solution. 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 limit access to its territory for those in need of protection. They also pointed out that many migrants end up stuck in Mexico for months, waiting in overcrowded shelters or in unsanitary conditions, vulnerable to kidnapping, sexual assault, and extortion.
Although Mexico’s National Immigration Institute theoretically allows migrants with CBP One appointments to travel freely to the U.S. border, the NGOs claimed that authorities still sometimes detain migrants and return them to the south.
The situation in southern Mexico has grown increasingly dangerous. Once a relatively peaceful region for its residents, it is now embroiled in a violent territorial struggle between powerful drug cartels seeking to control smuggling routes for drugs, weapons, and migrants.
The CBP One expansion comes into effect on Friday,