Thursday, August 22nd, 2024
Andrés Manuel López Obrador
Constitutional President of the United Mexican States
Luisa María Alcalde Luján
Mexican Ministry of the Interior
Alicia Isabel Adriana Bárcena Ibarra
Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Dear President López Obrador, Secretary Alcalde and Secretary Bárcena,
We, the undersigned civil society organizations and human rights defenders, are writing to you in response to the recent announcement by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) that—as of August 23—individuals waiting in Mexico to present at U.S. ports of entry to request asylum will be able to request appointments through the CBP One mobile application from the states of Tabasco and Chiapas. Previously, the CBP One app only allowed users to request and schedule appointments above the 19th parallel—that is, in the center and north of Mexico.
In light of the expansion of CBP One, which we are aware was requested by the Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs, we remind the Government of the Republic that the CBP One appointment system, which is currently one of the only ways to access the territory of the United States through its southern border to request asylum, violates international refugee law in its manner of use and operation as a discriminatory metering device and barrier to asylum. Using this electronic system, the United States limits access to its territory for persons in need of international protection, restricts the number of asylum applications it is required to process on a case-by-case basis, excludes persons in need of international protection who do not speak one of the three languages of the application, and forces vulnerable persons to wait in places where their life and bodily integrity may be in danger. By consenting to the use of the CBP One digital tool to force asylum seekers to wait in Mexico, the Government of Mexico is collaborating with the U.S. government in the implementation of policies that violate international refugee and human rights law. Mexico has national and international obligations to protect the human rights of all asylum seekers and migrants, including those transiting to the United States. These include respect for the principle of non-refoulement; protection of the right to life, personal integrity, equality, and non-discrimination; freedom of movement and freedom from torture or other cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment; as well as access to employment, education, health care, and housing, among others.
To read the full letter, click here.