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Trump Ends CBP One, Mexico Says It Will Welcome Deported Migrants

End of CBP One app for scheduling immigration appointments takes effect. Trump says he would also: declare a border emergency and kick off deportations; reinstate Remain in Mexico; end asylum procedures; and designate drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations.

Fisayo Okare

Jan 20, 2025

President Donald Trump at his White House inauguration on Jan. 20, 2025. (Photo: Screenshot via YouTube/C-SPAN)

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President Donald Trump, following his swearing in as the 47th president of the United States, kicked off his second, nonconsecutive term with an immigration-centric inauguration speech. 

Later on today, President Trump is expected to sign a series of historic executive orders. “With these actions, we will begin the complete restoration of America and the revolution of common sense,” Trump said. “It’s all about common sense.”

Declaring a border emergency and kicking off deportations

Trump announced a plan to declare a national emergency at the US-Mexico southern border, halting the entry of everyone seeking asylum in the U.S. Following that, Trump said his new administration will immediately begin the process of deporting undocumented immigrants out of the country. “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 from which they came,” Trump said. 

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There will also be an immediate deployment of troops to the southern border following his declaration of national emergency at the border.

Reinstating “Remain in Mexico” policy

He also announced that his administration would reinstate the Remain in Mexico policy he implemented during his first tenure in office.

The Trump administration introduced the “Remain in Mexico” program (which is officially known as “Migrant Protection Protocols” – MPP 1.0) in 2019. However, citing human rights violations and logistical issues, the Biden administration ended the program after taking office. A court-ordered reinstatement returned 7,505 migrants to Mexico between December 2021 to August 2022 before the Supreme Court overturned the order. 

Mexico has since opposed any revival of similar programs. In fact, just before President Trump’s inauguration speech, Mexico’s Secretary of Foreign Relations, Juan Ramón de la Fuente, criticized the possibility of reinstating the Remain in Mexico Program during a press conference Monday morning. He also denied that there is an agreement to implement a Safe Third Country agreement, under which immigrants would have to request asylum in Mexico instead of in the U.S. 

Ending asylum procedures

During his speech, President Trump also said he will “end the practice of catch and release,” which is when asylum seekers at the border are allowed into the U.S. to fight their immigration claims in court. The Biden administration’s June 2024 executive order, banning asylum at the border as soon as border crossings reach an average of 2,500 for seven consecutive days, is still in place and already disqualifies the majority of immigrants who are trying to seek asylum in the U.S. 

Designating drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations

Trump announced his administration will also categorize cartels and gangs, such as Tren de Aragua and MS-13, as foreign terrorist organizations. His administration plans to use the Alien and Sedition Act of 1798 to deport members of such gangs from the U.S. “By invoking the alien enemies act of 1798, I will direct our government to use the full and immense power of federal and state law enforcement to eliminate the presence of all foreign gangs and criminal networks bringing devastating crime to U.S. soil, including our cities and inner cities,” Trump said. 

He ended the immigration-focused part of his speech by restating a key promise central to his campaign to get elected: launching the largest deportation operation in U.S. history. “That is exactly what I am going to do. We will do it at a level that nobody has ever seen before,” Trump said. 

Trump’s measures take immediate effect

The Trump administration’s plans have already begun to take effect. A mobile application called CBP One — which migrants seeking asylum in the U.S. use in booking appointments before arriving at U.S. ports of entry — has been halted, AP News reported. Customs and Border Protection posted on its website that the app, which was used at eight southern border ports of entry, was no longer available as of today, thereby canceling all existing appointments. “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 cancelled,” the agency’s announcement stated. 

The Mexican government has said it’s going to support all its nationals, announcing measures to support Mexicans who are deported by the Trump administration. De la Fuente announced a taskforce of 4,800 people to provide support to Mexican nationals. They have hired contractors and made agreements with pro bono services and partnerships with law schools. They are also reassigning embassy servants to this taskforce. The Mexican government also announced an app, called ConsulApp, with access to a hotline, Know-your-rights information for Mexican immigrants and the location of consulates. The Government also announced a phone hotline from the U.S., 520-623-7874. 

Mexico Secretary of the Interior, Rosa Iceral Rodriguez, announced the plan “México te abraza” (Mexico embraces you) to provide services to deported nationals in airports and land crossings. The government will register deported Mexicans in public health insurance, will sign up children to local schools and will provide around $100 U.S. dollars to those who are deported. Retired immigrants will receive retirement benefits, and immigrants with disabilities will also receive an allowance. 

Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo has said she will be in touch with Trump’s team after the inauguration, adding that they already began informal discussions. Pard said she was looking forward to their first bilateral meeting. “We will suggest that if CBP One is cancelled, that there is a similar program so that immigrants can book their appointments with U.S. border officials from other Central American countries or in their country of origin,” she said. 

Additional reporting from Mexico by Nicolás Ríos

Fisayo Okare

Fisayo writes Documented’s "Early Arrival" newsletter and "Our City" column. She is an award-winning multimedia journalist, and earned an MSc. in journalism from Columbia University and a BSc. in Mass Communication from Pan-Atlantic University.

@fisvyo

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