US: Trump orders deactivation of migrant appointment app

Minutes after taking office on Monday, the Donald Trump administration ordered the shutdown of the CBP One app, a mobile platform that allowed migrants to schedule appointments at the U.S.-Mexico border.

The app’s deactivation by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials immediately voided all pending appointments for migrants without visas who had been seeking legal entry into the United States.

This decision signals the administration’s intent to enforce stricter border measures, despite a noted decline in migration figures over the last six months. 

According to CBP data, 96,048 migrants were encountered at the border in December, with 48,722 attempting formal admission at legal ports of entry.

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For comparison, in January 2021—coinciding with former President Biden’s inauguration—CBP reported 78,414 encounters at the border, of which only 3,098 migrants presented at legal entry points. The rest were apprehended after crossing the border illegally.

CBP One had been a key part of Biden’s approach to guiding migrants toward legal pathways for entry. Its removal under the Trump administration is part of a larger policy shift to reinstate more restrictive measures, including the reintroduction of the Migrant Protection Protocols, commonly known as the “remain in Mexico” policy.

Under this programme, approximately 70,000 third-country nationals were sent back to Mexico to await decisions on their asylum applications over a two-year period.

President Trump is also expected to sign ten executive orders today targeting border policy, which include dismantling initiatives introduced during the Biden era.

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