From the Field: The First 14 Days of Border Impacts Under the Trump Administration’s Executive Orders

Immediate Consequences in Nogales, Sonora

The Trump administration’s restrictive immigration measures have rapidly brought about a humanitarian crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border. With the termination of the CBP One program, asylum seekers with scheduled appointments were left stranded, forcing many into precarious conditions. The following notes summarize the tangible impacts we have observed over the last 14 days on the border of Nogales, Sonora.

Highlighting the Crisis

• About 30,000 appointments were canceled in total
• About 270,000 people who had registered with the app are stranded in Mexico. (Wall Street Journal says “about 200,000”)
• More than 936,500 people paroled under CBP One over the past two years might have their status revoked anytime if they haven’t adjusted it, and end up undocumented in the United States.
• Since January 20, KBI has only received 23 individuals deported to Nogales, MX, compared to 58 individuals the first 3 weeks of January and 218 in the month of December. However, KBI staff in conversation with Mexican officials have learned that the Border Patrol continues to deport large groups of migrants to Nogales.
• Mexican immigration officials and the Mexican National Guard are escorting deported individuals directly to 2 specific shelters, at times “against their will,” since many migrants express that they prefer to travel on their own to the bus station.
• Non Mexicans are being moved straight to Hermosillo, the capital of Sonora about 180 miles south of Nogales, and later moved more than 1,800 miles to Mexico’s southern border.
• Since January 20, we’ve received 144 persons, only 23 of them deported. At least 35 had CBP One appointments scheduled on or after January 20, which were canceled.

Human Stories of Stranded Asylum Seekers

• Mohammadi, a 40-year-old Afghani man fleeing Taliban persecution, lost his CBP One appointment just three days before his scheduled entry. He speaks and understands very little English, and no Spanish at all.
• Lorena*, a Mexican police officer fleeing death threats to her children, had waited for months in Tijuana only to have her long-awaited CBP One appointment taken away without any alternative provided.
• Yuli* and her Venezuelan family, survivors of kidnapping and assault, are now stuck in Nogales after losing their asylum processing date.
• Vivienne*, a Haitian mother with a newborn, faces an uncertain future, unable to seek safety in the U.S.
• Adriana*, a Venezuelan woman, was falsely promised a rescheduled appointment, only to be turned away due to the executive order.

Increasing Vulnerability and Lack of Protection

Migrants in Nogales face extreme dangers, including organized crime violence, extortion, and human rights abuses by officials. In January alone:

• 51% of migrants arriving at the Kino Border Initiative (KBI) reported experiencing abuse during their journey.
• Around 65% of the people who arrived at the KBI center in the last two weeks are women.
• Around 68% of the population who arrived in the last two weeks have indicated violence as the reason for leaving their places of origin. Of these, at least 30% are Mexican nationals who are now stranded in the same country they are fleeing, where criminal networks connected throughout the country may be able to track them down.

Legal and Humanitarian Roadblocks

• On January 20, KBI staff accompanied approximately 30 individuals, including many families with children, who had CBP One appointments at 4:30PM that day and wanted confirmation from U.S. officials about whether their appointments would be honored or not. A Mexican security guard in communication with the CBP Office of Field Operations (OFO) officer told the group they could line up where they normally would; they waited there for 30 minutes without any communication from OFO. Finally KBI staff approached the officer to ask what was happening, and they responded that all asylum processing via the CBP One app was canceled. KBI requested an officer explain the changes to the migrant families waiting, so they sent a manager to talk with the people and answer questions. One woman asked, “Even if I’ve been waiting for a year, my appointment will not be honored?” and the officer said no, it would not.
• The CBP One termination, coupled with Biden’s 2024 asylum restrictions, has effectively eliminated lawful pathways for families seeking asylum. U.S. officials have explicitly stated that asylum processing is no longer an option. This lack of due process was exemplified by Mariana*, a 45-year-old Nicaraguan woman fleeing political repression, who was turned away at the border on January 21st and told that by “order of President Trump, no one could pass through or request asylum.”