Measure in favor of migrants is extended

LOS ANGELES (EFE).— U.S. immigration authorities yesterday expanded access to the CBP One mobile app to southern Mexico, which allows migrants to request an appointment to present their asylum cases at the border and thus avoid having to do so irregularly.

The application has been available since yesterday for migrants in the states of Chiapas and Tabasco, which will allow them to schedule appointments without having to travel to the north of the country, the Customs and Border Protection Office (CBP) reported in a statement.

U.S. officials said they are in “constant communication” with the Mexican government and “working together” to adjust policies and practices in response to recent migration trends and security needs.

Expanding access to the app is part of efforts by President Joe Biden’s administration to reduce irregular migrant crossings at the southwestern border, which has seen a decline in apprehensions since asylum restrictions were put in place last July.

CBP said migrants must be physically located in central or northern Mexico to apply or schedule an appointment through CBP One, which offers an average of 1,500 appointments each day.

Border officials said migrants located in those sectors — northern and central Mexico — will continue to be able to schedule appointments to appear at the eight ports of entry along the U.S.-Mexico border: Brownsville, El Paso, Eagle Pass, Hidalgo and Laredo in Texas; Calexico and San Ysidro in California; and Nogales in Arizona.

“Scheduling appointments at CBP One provides a safe, orderly, and humane process for foreign nationals to access ports of entry rather than attempting to enter the United States irregularly,” the agency reiterated.

At a glance

Sectors

Border officials said migrants located in northern and central Mexico will continue to have the ability to schedule appointments to appear at the following eight ports of entry along the U.S.-Mexico border: Brownsville, El Paso, Eagle Pass, Hidalgo, and Laredo in Texas; Calexico and San Ysidro in California; and Nogales in Arizona.

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