People arrived from Haiti, Venezuela, and other countries, carrying small rolling suitcases packed with clothes and stuffed animals to keep their children entertained. They held cellphones showing they had finally secured appointments, after months of waiting, to legally enter the United States.

Moments after President Donald Trump took office, elation and hope turned to despair and disappointment near a series of border crossings in north Mexico where heavy fencing and labyrinthine concrete barriers eventually flow into the United States. After allowing entrance for around 1 million individuals since January 2023, US Customs and Border Protection said Monday that the CBP One app, which was operational as recently as that morning, will no longer be utilised to accept migrants. Tens of thousands of appointments scheduled through February were cancelled, leaving applicants with no option to appeal or anyone to contact for help.

CBP One App has become extremely popular, particularly among Venezuelans, Cubans, Haitians, and Mexicans. However, many of them are now stranded either at the U.S. border or further inside Mexico. 

CBP One works like a lottery system, providing appointments each day to 1,450 people at one of eight border crossings. Through this system, people enter the U.S. under immigration parole, a special authority that President Joe Biden has used more than any other president since its introduction in 1952. The program is ending, aligning with former President Donald Trump's campaign promises. Its critics, who view it as overly generous and believe it draws people to Mexico's border with the U.S., are likely to welcome this decision. After a glitchy start in January 2023, CBP One quickly became a key part of the Biden administration's border strategy, aiming to expand legal pathways while tightening rules for people entering the U.S. illegally. Supporters say it helped bring order to the chaos of illegal border crossings.

Many migrant shelters in Mexico are now filled with people who check their phones daily, hoping to secure an appointment. According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, about 280,000 people compete each day for just 1,450 available slots. With CBP One ending the U.S. will bring back the "Remain in Mexico" policy, first introduced during Trump's term. This policy required about 70,000 asylum-seekers to stay in Mexico while waiting for their U.S. immigration court hearings. Matthew Hudak, who retired last year as deputy chief of the Border Patrol, said the demise of CBP One could encourage people to cross illegally. To be effective, it must be coupled with something like Remain in Mexico," he said. The message with CBP One being shut down is basically, Hey we're not going to allow you to show up; the doors are not going to be open.' For that to be meaningful, there has to be some level of consequence if you bypass any lawful means and you're doing it illegally, he said.

Migrants throughout Mexico were stunned to learn of the sudden termination of CBP One. Juan Andres Rincon Ramos, a 19-year-old from Venezuela, burst into tears of joy in early January when, after months of trying, he finally secured an asylum appointment through CBP One. It gave him a glimmer of hope after spending five years in Peru and seven tough months in Mexico, trying to reach the U.S., where his brother lives in Pittsburgh. However, in the temporary migrant camp in Mexico City where he stays, that hope was shattered when he received a notification saying his appointment had been cancelled. "It was a moment of hope, but it didn't last, he said. Everyone trusted in the American dream, but we were all wrong.