Cubans stranded in Mexico after cancellation of CBP One claim that “it is not an option to return”
Cubitanow writing ~ Thursday, January 23, 2025
Thousands of Cuban migrants were stranded in the border cities of Tijuana and Ciudad Juárez after the cancellation of the CBP One application, after the arrival of Donald Trump. The Republican had promised the suspension of the asylum mechanism created by the administration of Joe Biden, but his immediate execution surprised many who had the hope that they would be respected by the appointment they had already obtained by January 20. But the truth is that the program was canceled in its entirety.
“Returning to Cuba is not an option, or right now,” said a Cuban in Mexico interviewed by the Telemundo chain. “You feel great frustration, you feel great insecurity.”
Another Cuban asked the Trump administration to have compassion for those who have been waiting for months to have an asylum appointment and let them move with the abbreviated procedure that was executed through the CBP One. Similar criteria were expressed by other foreigners. In Ciudad Juárez, a Colombian mother shared her heartbreaking testimony after spending eight months in Mexico waiting for her immigration appointment. With tears in his eyes, he reported how trying to cross the border, he discovered that the appointments had been invalidated: “It is unfair. We have been hungry, asleep in the street and now they tell us that we cannot happen, ”he said while holding his two children.
In response to agglomeration in border points, US authorities deployed police forces in Ciudad Juárez. Migrants waiting near the crossing were evicted under the argument that they were in restricted federal areas. Many do not know where to direct and face an overwhelming uncertainty about their next steps.
The frustration and sadness of migrants is not only due to the cancellation of appointments, but also to the extreme conditions they face. In the shelters, the places are insufficient and many must spend the night in the streets while looking for legal alternatives to enter the United States.
For Cubans, returning to the island is not a viable option. The reasons vary from the precarious economic situation to the fear of reprisals for having abandoned the country. One of those affected said: “We have no option. Cuba is not a safe place to return. We will continue looking for a way out. ”
Under the Trump administration, the process to request asylum in the US is maintained, but changes with respect to that implemented by Biden. The Republican reimputed the migrant protection protocols (Migrant Protection Protocols, MPP), also known as the “Stay in Mexico” program.
This program forces asylum seekers to wait in Mexico while their cases are prosecuted in the United States immigration courts. Under this program, asylum seekers who arrive at the southern border of the US, either in an entrance port or crossing between them, receive a notification to appear before an immigration court and then are returned to Mexico. There they must wait until the date of their hearing in the American court.
The declared objective of the MPP is to expedite the removal procedures and ensure that those who qualify for humanitarian protection in the US may receive it. MPP implementation requires the cooperation of the Mexican government.
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