CIUDAD HIDALGO, Mexico (AP) — Venezuelan migrant Yuri Carolina Meléndez recently arrived in Mexico and wasted no time in downloading the U.S. government’s CBP One app to apply for asylum appointments. This app, previously accessible only in central or northern Mexico, is now available to migrants in Mexico’s southernmost states bordering Guatemala as of Friday.
Mexico has been advocating for this expansion to alleviate the pressure on migrants to continue north to cities like Mexico City. By enabling migrants to apply for appointments in the south, Mexico hopes to deter them from risking encounters with authorities or criminal groups while traveling north.
