The Trump administration is closing the CBP One app that was aimed at allowing asylum seekers to book dates for lawful admittance into the United States. The app is launched by the Biden administration to make the process of requesting asylum easier and therefore reduce illegal cross-border movements.

However, due to the current cancellation of all pending appointments by Trump and an end to the app, there have been many tears and frustrations for thousands of migrants who had waited from months to even years to make an appointment.

CBP One App Canceled: A Crucial Tool for Asylum Seekers Now Lost

Donald Trump Cuts Ends CBP One App For Migrants, Ending

The CBP One app was created to help asylum-seekers schedule appointments with US Customs and Border Protection to address the increasing problem of crossing over the border illegally. It had already been deployed under the Biden administration as an effort to make asylum claims more efficient. It gave asylum seekers a digital vehicle for submitting their asylum requests, and it was one of the migrants' most valuable tools, NBC News said.

The app had gained much popularity, with over 280,000 users daily by January 7, 2025. However, just days later, the app was disabled. According to CBP, all appointments made through the app have been canceled, and notifications in multiple languages were sent to users informing them of the decision.

News about the app brought shock to most of the migrant community, hoping to get the chance to get an entry into the US.

Heartbreaking Response from Migrants at the Border

The application shutdown announcement did indeed trigger emotional reactions from those in the affected migrant community. For instance, there was a picture that surfaced of a woman crying as she stood before the border fence in Juárez, Mexico. She was regretting her failure to apply legally for asylum through the app.

Julio Alberto Hernández, an El Salvadorian migrant in Tijuana, sounded broken when he read the news: "I was so happy because I was going to get to enter to support my children," he said in Spanish, his voice laden with sadness. "But with this, we're left sad because they erased it."

Others shared similar thoughts with Hernández, including Christian Martinez, a Honduran migrant, who found the decision to cut off hope, "Right now I'm feeling a sentiment as if something just vanished. That hope that I could enter legally just got cut off, " Martinez stated.

Repercussions of This Decision on Thousands of Migrants

Many said their cancellation was the end of months, or even years, of waiting and uncertainty.

Melanie Mendoza had been waiting for more than a year and a half before she finally shed her tears over what she described as an unfair situation.

This move further aggravates the crisis beyond the application. Border control authorities have also sent migrants, who had earlier applied to pass through legal border entry points, away. This means that people such as the migrants from Zacatecas, Mexico, who traveled all the way to Matamoros, Mexico, in search of better living conditions, found out at the border that their appointments were no longer valid.

How Important is CBP One Under Biden

It had been hailed upon its launch for bringing order into the chaotic asylum process. Organizing asylum appointments was one thing the Biden administration was able to do, a process that previously had been so disorganized since so many migrants had crossed the border illegally seeking asylum.

Though the app had been under attack for glitches and long lines in the processing of asylum applications, it represented a major leap in managing asylum requests better.

However, Trump and his supporters say the app allowed too many migrants to gain entry into the US. Ending the app seems to be in keeping with Trump's immigration agenda.

Migrants Facing Uncertainty and Frustration

With the abrupt cancellation of the CBP One app, many migrants are left with uncertainty about their future. The asylum seekers who had relied on the app were now forced to look for alternative means to navigate the complex US immigration system. The emotional toll on these individuals is immeasurable as they face a future filled with doubt and frustration.

In other news, Trump orders to end birthright citizenship in the US, a Politico report says.