Trump Administration Ends Migrant Entry App, Leaving Thousands Stranded
In one of his first actions as the 47th President of the United States, Donald Trump has shut down the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) One app, a digital platform introduced under the Biden administration to streamline asylum applications. The app’s closure was announced via a notice on the CBP website, confirming its immediate discontinuation and the cancellation of all pending appointments.
The CBP One app, launched in early 2023, provided a regulated pathway for migrants to schedule appointments for asylum processing at U.S. ports of entry. Over 900,000 migrants utilized the platform, which allowed up to 1,450 daily appointments. Its termination has left tens of thousands of migrants in limbo, many of whom had already reached the U.S.-Mexico border expecting to be processed.
At the El Chaparral border crossing in Tijuana, Mexico, confusion turned into despair as migrants discovered their appointments had disappeared.
“I am in shock,” said Maura Hernandez, a mother of four from Michoacán, Mexico. Hernandez fled violence in her home state and had traveled to Tijuana for her now-canceled appointment. “I don’t know what is going to happen to us.”
Similarly, Gustavo Selva, a Venezuelan migrant, described his devastation after waiting seven months for his appointment, only to find it canceled. “We thought we could enter today without a problem,” Selva said. “Now we will be stranded here indefinitely.”
A former Department of Homeland Security (DHS) official, speaking anonymously, estimated that approximately 30,000 migrants had active appointments via the app, while nearly 300,000 were waiting in Mexico with hopes of securing entry.
The Biden administration had championed CBP One as a cornerstone of its border management strategy. DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas recently touted the app’s success in creating “lawful, safe, and orderly pathways” for asylum seekers while restricting illegal crossings.
However, the Trump administration views the app as a loophole facilitating unchecked immigration. Critics, including Republican lawmakers, argue that it allowed migrants to remain in the U.S. for years while their cases worked through overburdened immigration courts.
“The fact that this application exists is the most underreported scandal of the Biden administration,” Vice President JD Vance tweeted last week. “They made an application to facilitate illegal immigration. It boggles the mind.”
Matthew Hudak, a former senior Border Patrol official, stated that the move reflects the Trump administration’s commitment to stricter immigration policies. “Simply signing up to get in line will be replaced by stringent measures, including the likely reinstatement of the Remain in Mexico program,” Hudak said.
The abrupt termination of the app underscores a sharp shift in U.S. immigration policy, leaving thousands of migrants stranded and uncertain about their futures. Meanwhile, border policy under the Trump administration is expected to pivot toward more rigorous enforcement and heightened barriers for those seeking entry.