US ends Laredo asylum appointments after reports of extortion
MND Staff
MND Staff
June 14, 2023
The United States’ government has stopped taking mobile app appointments to admit asylum-seekers at the Laredo border crossing, according to the Associated Press (AP), following reports that migrants face extortion by Mexican authorities.
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced its decision in a June 2 message to migrant advocates in Nuevo Laredo sent by a U.S. consular official and reviewed by Reuters.
CBP One app ad
The U.S. government has encouraged migrants not to “just show up” at the border without having made an appointment, and encourages use of a new Customs and Border Patrol application, CBP One. However, U.S. officials announced they will no longer be accepting making appointments at the Laredo crossing due to corruption concerns. (Google Play Store)
Migrants in Mexico seeking to travel to the U.S. had been encouraged to use the free U.S. Customs and Border Protection CBP One app, launched in 2020, to submit information in advance and schedule an appointment at authorized border crossings.
Some asylum seekers told the AP that Mexican officials in Nuevo Laredo had threatened to detain them and prevent them from attending their scheduled asylum appointments unless they paid a bribe. Humanitarian organizations in Laredo had also reportedly alerted the CBP.
https://mexiconewsdaily.com/news/us-ends-laredo-asylum-appointments-after-reports-of-extortion/
