Migrants cry as Trump closes border entry app shortly after starting presidency

A distressed migrant woman cried out in sorrow at the border in the south following President Trump’s decision to close an application that facilitated migrants’ access into the United States.

Margelis Tinoco, a woman from Colombia who was waiting to be allowed entry into the US, was overwhelmed with emotions when the president eliminated the CBP One app shortly after taking office.

Every outstanding appointment on the app was effectively canceled when Trump took office, causing panic among those wanting to get into the U.S. 

The CBP One app, which was utilized by the Biden administration to streamline the process of migrants entering the US, had been accessed by around one million individuals since its inception.

The app could be used to create appointments for asylum seekers – and was also popular among tourists by helping them speed their way through airport customs.  

‘Effective January 20, 2025, the functionalities of CBP One that previously allowed undocumented aliens to submit advance information and schedule appointments at eight southwest border ports of entry is no longer available, and existing appointments have been canceled,’ the CBP website states. 

Kamala Harris’ bid for the White House was largely sunk by the huge surge in border crossings by migrants during her four years as vice president.

President Trump promised to take a far harder line on the border and even deport migrants who made it into the US, with the promise proving a popular one.  

Margelis Tinoco, a migrant from Colombia, sobbed on arriving at the US Border just as Trump was inaugurated to discover the CBP1 App had been axed, making it far harder for migrants to enter the United States 

Tinoco’s anguish was clear to see. The CBP1 app let migrants book appointments to claim asylum, although it was also used by tourists to expedite entry at US airports 

Donald Trump is sworn in as the 47th US President in the US Capitol Rotunda in Washington, DC, on January 20, 2025. Imediately many of his policies went into effect, like the shut down of CBP One 

And he vowed to make good on the pledge at his swearing-in Monday.

‘I will declare a national emergency at our southern border,’ Trump said to huge applause as he addressed the crowd at his swearing-in ceremony. 

‘All illegal entry will immediately be halted, and we will begin the process of returning millions and millions of criminal aliens back to the places in which they came.’ 

The app notoriously facilitated migrants receiving flights to the U.S. from other countries. 

In total, there were over 320,000 migrants flown into the U.S. by the Biden administration. 

The major border town El Paso, Texas, temporarily closed its border crossings Monday around Trump’s swearing-in ceremony. 

Authorities in riot gear with shields and full body armor were photographed standing guard at the border crossings.

The enhanced security comes as other portions of President Trump’s agenda are put into action. 

The president noted how he is reinstating his ‘Remain in Mexico’ policy and ending catch-and-release, a policy that allowed illegal border crossers seeking asylum to be detained and then released within the country as they awaited a court date, in his remarks Monday afternoon. 

A group of migrants walk in a caravan towards the northern border from the municipality of Tapachula in Chiapas, Mexico, 20 January 2025. Thousands of migrants set off in a caravan from Mexico’s southern border on the inauguration day of US President Donald Trump’s second term in office, despite warnings of mass deportations and asylum restrictions, as well as increased surveillance by Mexican authorities

Migrants who requested asylum through the U.S. Customs and Border Protection CBP One application queue at the premises of Mexico’s National Institute of Migration (INM) to secure a safe passage to the northern border with the U.S., in Tapachula, Mexico, January 20, 2025.

Migrants awaiting entry into the U.S. while in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico

He is reinstating the Remain in Mexico policy that makes illegal border hoppers wait in the last country where they crossed from, which is most often Mexico, as they wait for a court date to make their asylum claims.

Other early objectives noted by incoming White House officials on a call Monday include reexamining birthright citizenship and asylum, sending U.S. troops to the border after Trump declared a national emergency and suspending refugee programs.

Ending birthright citizenship for illegal immigrants would mean anyone born on U.S. soil, but whose parents are undocumented aliens will no longer be a de facto citizen of the United States of America. 

However, there are advocates who argue this cuts against the 14th Amendment of the Constitution, which created the unique birthright citizenship rule for anyone born in the U.S. 

Reports have surfaced suggesting there will be as many as 10 border related day one actions by President Trump on Monday.