About 270,000 migrants waiting to enter U.S. through app Trump has vowed to end, estimates show
washington — An estimated 270,000 migrants are waiting on the Mexican side of the U.S.-Mexico border, hoping to make an appointment to enter the United States through a system that President-elect Donald Trump has vowed to end, according to government data obtained by CBS News.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection estimates that about 270,000 migrants in Mexico are trying to get through a program called U.S. Customs and Border Protection OneThe Biden administration has transformed it into the main gateway into the U.S. asylum system.
Now, those migrants, many of whom come from countries other than Mexico such as crisis-stricken Haiti and Venezuela, face the risk of suddenly losing the ability to enter the U.S. Trump and South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, his nominee to lead the department’s Homeland Security Ministry, there is swear arrive closure U.S. Customs and Border Protection No. 1.
The app allows immigrants from certain areas of Mexico to request processing times by U.S. immigration officials at legal border entry points, also known as ports of entry. The Biden administration established the program as part of a broader effort to stem illegal immigration by providing immigrants with legal channels to enter the United States. People admitted to the United States under this system can apply for work permits and apply for asylum in immigration court. close to their respective destinations.
As of January 16, nearly 919,000 immigrants had been admitted to the United States through the CBP One application, which was established in January 2023, according to an internal government report obtained by CBS News. It’s unclear what the incoming administration’s plans are for those who have already entered the country through the app, although those with pending asylum claims will not be deported unless they lose their cases.
Jose Eduardo Torres Cancino/Anadolu, Getty Images
Demand for CBP One appointments has been unusually high, well exceeding the 1,450 daily appointment cap set by the Biden administration. Internal reports show that immigrants have tried to book an appointment more than 166 million times in the past two years, logging into the app again and again to try their luck. Due to high demand, wait times often extend to several months.
About 30,000 immigrants are currently expected to enter the United States through the CBP One system over the next three weeks, as appointments are allocated 21 days before the entry date. The appointment has been scheduled for early February, the time the incoming government takes office.
It is unclear whether the Trump administration will honor these appointments. Even if CBP One ends, any efforts to stop processing immigrants at ports of entry will face legal challenges, as federal court rules U.S. refugee law need Officials process some asylum applicants at these entry points.
Outgoing Biden administration officials warned that ending CBP One could prompt some people waiting for appointments to enter the U.S. illegally, potentially upending Current four-year low at illegal border crossings.
In its first three years in office, U.S. Customs and Border Protection has processed record numbers of immigrants as the Biden administration struggles to stem an unprecedented wave of illegal immigration. But illegal arrivals fell sharply in 2024, largely due to increased efforts by Mexico to stop migrants from entering the U.S. and actions taken by President Joe Biden in June severe restrictions on asylum.
The surge in illegal border crossings that some experts predicted before Trump took office never materialized. In fact, the Border Patrol expects to apprehend fewer than 35,000 immigrants in January, the lowest level since June 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic caused a sharp drop in immigration numbers.
Internal Border Patrol data shows the agency averaged more than 1,000 arrests per day in January, down nearly 90% from the record-breaking December 2023, when an average of more than 8,000 immigrants crossed into the United States illegally every day.
Two U.S. officials told CBS News the number of illegal border crossings has dropped sharply and Biden’s asylum restrictions are set to take effect next week. by its own terms, This policy will be gradually deactivated when the average daily number of illegal border crossings remains below 1,500 for 28 consecutive days. However, the Trump administration may repeal or modify the rule.
Andrea Flores, who ran immigration policy in the White House during Biden’s first year in office, said migrants “may have no choice but to cross the border without authorization” if the CBP One process is halted.
“The numbers at the border may be low, but it’s a completely unsustainable situation that is still completely dependent on Mexico to sustain it,” said Flores, now vice president of policy at FWD.US, a group that supports liberal immigration policies.
Trump’s transition team did not respond to questions about CBP One, including whether officials are concerned that ending the system could exacerbate illegal border crossings.
Trump vowed to quickly and aggressively reshape federal immigration policy once he is sworn in on Monday, pledge Initiate mass deportations and reverse Biden administration policies.
Other Biden-era immigration plans targeted by Trump include an initiative that would allow citizens of Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela to fly to the United States with U.S. sponsorship. policy, called CHNValso aimed at reducing illegal immigration from these countries.
Officials have admitted some 532,000 immigrants under the CHNV program, but their fate is unclear as the Biden administration refuses to extend their two-year permits in the United States and Trump officials have talked about ending the policy.
The Mexican government agreed to accept some non-Mexicans, including Venezuelans, deported by U.S. authorities on the condition that the U.S. accept immigrants under the CHNV initiative. Mexico has not said how the potential end of the program would affect the arrangement.
The incoming administration also needs Mexico’s cooperation to fulfill one of its campaign promises: reinstating the so-called “Remain in Mexico” policy, which requires migrants to wait outside the United States to apply for asylum.
Matthew Hudak, a longtime top Border Patrol official who retired last year, said he was “not necessarily a fan” of CBP One when it was created, but noted that the policy was discouraging people from coming to the border. has a certain “value”. The United States illegally passes through the Rio Grande or other areas of the border.
But Hudak said the incoming administration should be “tighter” on the criteria for entering the country through CBP One. He said Trump officials should develop their own border policy plans before the spring, when migration has historically increased.
“This is a window of time where the (Trump) administration has an opportunity to determine the consequences and put things in place that will send a message and ultimately be a deterrent for people to decide to make illegal entries,” Hudak said. “
