Mexico has announced a new initiative that seeks to improve the conditions and safety of non-Mexican migrants who have asylum appointments in the United States. Under this new policy, Mexico will offer escorted bus rides that will depart from cities in the south of the country and arrive at the border with the United States. The measure seeks to allow migrants to apply and wait for their appointments from safer areas instead of traveling north and facing more dangerous areas with migrant overpopulation, such as Mexico City and border cities.
The policy change was announced on August 31, after the United States Government expanded access to CBP One applications, a multiple immigration form that grants 20 days of conditional stay at the border to people seeking asylum. While previously CBP One appointments were only granted to people in northern and central Mexico, they are now extended to the south of the country, which will help the United States manage the asylum process more effectively and reduce the impact of overpopulation in border areas and cities.
The initiative that will provide transportation for migrants will include a 20-day transit permit, which will allow them to legally pass through Mexico while traveling to the northern border. This new Mexican government policy seeks to address several problems faced by migrants waiting for their asylum appointments. Migrants are dissatisfied with conditions in southern Mexico, where wait times are longer and there are not as many job opportunities, and they may face violence and other risks derived from the presence of organized crime in border cities.
The departure points will be the Immigration Station in Villahermosa, Tabasco, and the Migration Regulation office in the Southern Zone in Tapachula, Chiapas, which is the main border crossing between Mexico and Guatemala, where a large number of migrants enter.
The buses will be accompanied by local, state and federal agents to improve security throughout the trip. Similarly, Mexico’s National Institute of Migration (INM) said that migrants will receive food during their journey, so they will not have to worry about earning or spending money during their stay in Mexico.
Although prior to the announcement there have been reports of asylum seekers with appointments being stopped at checkpoints and then sent south, causing them to miss their scheduled appointments, Mexican authorities have promised to honor appointments for those who can prove they have one.
The Mexican government has pushed for expanded access to CBP One applications as a way to address the problems faced by migrants in Mexico City. Over the past year, many migrants have chosen to wait for their asylum appointments in the country’s capital because there are greater job opportunities and better security compared to drug-controlled areas near the U.S. border. However, this has caused the city to suffer from migrant overpopulation, making life difficult for those waiting for their appointment.
What is CBP One?
CBP One is a mobile app designed to help migrants schedule appointments to enter the United States. It is completely free and available for download in the Apple and Google Play app stores. No payment is required to use it, and it is accessible to anyone with a mobile device. All migrants without sufficient documentation to be legally admitted into the United States can register and request an appointment through CBP One. Once registered, users can request an appointment daily. Appointments are assigned at 12:00 noon (Eastern Time) and are chosen randomly, although a percentage is reserved for those who have waited the longest.
To request an appointment, it is necessary to select the registration that includes all family members or traveling companions with the same destination address in the United States, and submit an application. Migrants must request an appointment each day if they do not receive one initially, as there is no way to edit the registration once submitted. CBP One does not allow the purchase of appointments, and any attempt to do so is fraudulent. Additionally, having an appointment through CBP One does not entail an asylum application and a sponsor in the United States is not required for the process. In the event of errors in registration, users must delete the incorrect registration and re-register with the correct information.
Source: elpais
