Donald Trump’s arrival at the White House has certainly not left anyone indifferent, and on his first day in office he has already given much to talk about.
Putting the migration crisis on the southern border of the United States as the country’s main problem, he has decided to eliminate the CBP One application. This change has raised alarms among human rights defenders and international organizations. At a time when everything seems to depend on a thread, the political decisions that are made will directly impact the human lives of those most affected… We are going to tell you what this first measure of Trump has consisted of and what are the alternatives that can be carried out.
What happened?
We already saw it, the President-elect in his welcome speech put migrants in the spotlight of the debate, choosing them as “enemies” of the Americans and pointing them out as the main problem of the country and, also, ensuring that he will begin to carry out mass deportations of migrants in an irregular situation. He has started by eliminating CBP One, but we have to be aware that this will only be the first step of his strict migration plan.
What is CBP?
In 2023, under the mandate of the previous president, Biden, CBP One was an application designed to facilitate the migratory flow at the border between Mexico and the United States. The application allowed people to register their personal information and schedule appointments to appear at official entry points, making the process much simpler for those requesting isolation in our country.
This system assigned 1,450 appointments per day, and processed up to a million requests from migrants fleeing violence and poverty, but on January 20, everything changed and returned to the previous system. This application was deactivated, leaving more than 30,000 people with their scheduled appointments in legal limbo.
How has this impacted?
By reactivating strict policies such as “Stay in Mexico”, an immigration policy that forces migrants to wait in Mexico while their applications are resolved.
These measures have put the focus of pressure on border communities, where thousands of migrants are trying to survive…
Doctors Without Borders (MSF) have denounced the lack of legal and safe mechanisms, causing migrants to find themselves in a situation of extreme danger (violence, exploitation and the well-being of these people). MSF also denounces the danger of the migration route through Latin America and the need to establish legal and safe paths for these people fleeing violence and lack of opportunities.
Humanitarian crisis: human trafficking
In this context of desperation, people are much more vulnerable to human trafficking networks, and this is where the so-called “coyotes” appear, offering them illegal crossings that end up being deadly traps (almost like mousetraps, we would say), extorting them, abusing them and some even dying at the hands of these groups, and we are not going to comment on what happens to women who try to cross the border through these routes…
So, legal alternatives should be a must to prevent feeding this type of clandestine industries that only violate human rights.
What alternatives are left for migrants after the closure of CBP One?
Although options are limited, there are still three (insufficient) alternatives:
- Some migrants will be able to present themselves at official crossing points and request asylum (this could mean possible detentions and long waits)
- The Mexican government (led by Claudia Sheinbaum) has offered voluntary return programs for those who cannot continue their journey (although this is simply a “patch” because it does not address the root of the problem)
- Suspension of Humanitarian Parole: this program that allowed the entry of half a million migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela has also been suspended, so this legal alternative has also been dismantled.
It is clear that the migration problem is not going to be eliminated in a day, and that turning a blind eye is not going to make the problem go away either. Furthermore, “returning” these people to their problems is not a solution either because in most cases, these countries of origin are not capable of solving these problems on their own, and it is family, political, economic, and conflict situations that force millions of people to leave their homes. Many of these inequalities are caused by the exploitation of these smaller countries by “richer” nations, so these countries should have a moral obligation to take their share of the blame and offer legal avenues.
Let us remember that no one would leave their home and family behind, exposing themselves to abuse, rape, and even death, if they were not in a situation of complete need in their countries of origin.