In a swift move that signalled the beginning of President Donald Trump’s hardline border crackdown, the new administration, on Monday, shut down CBP One, an app-based programme that allowed migrants to schedule legal entry into the United States through official ports.
Shortly after Trump took the oath of office as thr 47th President of the United States (POTUS), the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) website posted a notice confirming that the app was no longer functional and that all existing appointments had been cancelled.
The CBP One app, introduced by the Joe Biden administration in early 2023, was designed to offer migrants a regulated pathway to seek asylum in the US. The programme allowed 1,450 migrants per day to schedule an appointment for processing, and since its launch, more than 900,000 people have entered the US using the system.
However, the Trump administration’s decision has left tens of thousands of migrants stranded at the southern border, many of whom had already made their way to designated entry points in anticipation of their scheduled appointments.
At the El Chaparral border crossing in Tijuana, Mexico, confusion and frustration gripped migrants who checked their phones only to find that their appointments had vanished.
“I am in shock,” said Maura Hernandez, a migrant from Michoacán, Mexico, who had arrived in Tijuana with her four children for an appointment scheduled on Tuesday. “I don’t know what is going to happen to us.”
Like many others, Hernandez fled violence in her home state, hoping to seek asylum through legal channels.
Gustavo Selva, a Venezuelan migrant, described his devastation upon learning that the program had been terminated.
“We are so disappointed,” Selva said after reading the update on his phone. He had waited seven months for his appointment, which was initially scheduled for late January but had been delayed until February 9. He had already traveled from Chiapas to Tijuana, believing he would soon enter the U.S. legally.
“We thought we could enter today without a problem,” he said. “Now we will be stranded here indefinitely.”
A former Department of Homeland Security (DHS) official, speaking on condition of anonymity, estimated that around 30,000 migrants had active appointments through the app as of Monday morning. Additionally, nearly 300,000 migrants were reportedly waiting in Mexico with hopes of securing entry through CBP One.
The Biden administration had touted the CBP One app as a critical tool in managing migration at the southern border. The programme was part of a broader strategy that combined asylum restrictions for illegal crossings with legal pathways for those seeking protection.
“I would say that the model that we have built—of restricting asylum at our southern border and building accessible, lawful, safe, and orderly pathways for individuals to seek relief under our laws—is the model that should be sustained,” DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said in an interview with NPR earlier this month.
“We have delivered the border and those accessible pathways to the incoming administration,” he added.
Border crossings had significantly declined in recent months, a trend that US officials attributed in part to the app’s success in streamlining asylum applications.
The closure of CBP One underscored a drastic shift in immigration policy under the Trump administration, which has long argued for tougher enforcement measures.
Critics of the app, particularly Republican lawmakers, viewed it as a loophole that allowed migrants to remain in the U.S. for years while their cases moved through backlogged immigration courts.
“The fact that this application exists is the most underreported scandal of the Biden admin,” Vice President JD Vance said in a social media post last week. “They made an application to facilitate illegal immigration. It boggles the mind.”
Matthew Hudak, a former senior Border Patrol official, said the move was a clear indication that the Trump administration would adopt a much tougher stance at the border.
“Simply wanting to immigrate to the U.S. and signing up to get in line will be replaced by more stringent policies that will significantly raise the bar for those seeking to come here, including reimplementing the Remain in Mexico program,” Hudak said.
“Many will be left to decide if they will work through the legal process or attempt to enter the country illegally and face what will likely be much more significant consequences.”