The recent cancellation of the border app application process and all existing appointments has raised concerns among migrant shelters in Tijuana, Mexico, and Nogales, Arizona. The director of the Migrant Shelter Moviemiento Juventud 2000 in Tijuana, Jose Maria Garcia Lara, expressed worries that migrants may resort to illegal border crossings due to the sudden halt in the application process.
Garcia Lara highlighted that many migrants who had been waiting for legal entry into the United States are now left in limbo, with no clarity on their status. The shelter currently houses 90 migrants, some of whom have been waiting for nearly nine months for a CBP appointment. Most of these migrants cannot return to their home countries due to safety concerns, further exacerbating their predicament.
Similarly, the founder of the San Juan Bosco Migrant Shelter in Nogales, Arizona, Juan Francisco Loureiro, shared the distress felt by migrants under his care. Loureiro emphasized that the migrants are in a state of desperation and uncertainty, unsure of their next steps. With around 50 migrants currently housed at the shelter, Loureiro noted that the numbers are subject to fluctuations.
Both shelters underscored the potential consequences of the border app cancellations, with fears that migrants may feel compelled to attempt illegal crossings into the United States. The inability to access the application and the uncertainty surrounding their legal status have left many migrants feeling stranded and anxious about their future.
As the situation unfolds, migrant shelters in both Mexico and Arizona are grappling with the immediate impact of the border app cancellations on the vulnerable migrant populations they serve. The directors of these shelters are calling for urgent solutions to address the plight of migrants caught in this bureaucratic limbo.
