(AFP) – Migrants who obtained temporary permission to live in the United States through the CBP One app under former president Joe Biden have received orders to self-deport “immediately,” US media reported Tuesday. A US Department of Homeland Security spokesperson told AFP that “formal termination notices” had been issued to certain “illegal aliens,” but did not provide details on how they were selected.
“Formal termination notices have been issued, and affected aliens are urged to voluntarily self-deport using the CBP Home App,” the senior DHS spokesperson told AFP. “Those who refuse will be found, removed, and permanently barred from reentry.” Starting in January 2023, the CBP One app allowed migrants to schedule appointments at certain southwestern US ports of entry, and was a central part of the Biden administration’s humanitarian parole strategy. The latest orders could affect more than 930,000 migrants, National Public Radio reported.
President Donald Trump canceled any further entries via the CBP One app on the first day of his second term. Doing so blocked access to a platform that allowed migrants in Mexico to make appointments with US officials at designated border crossings, where they could apply for temporary residency. Trump vowed to deport “millions” of undocumented migrants as he was sworn in for his second term, after running an election campaign that focused on illegal immigration.
On the campaign trail, Trump likened migrants to “animals” and “monsters,” claiming they were responsible for violent crime across the country. “Canceling these paroles is a promise kept to the American people to secure our borders and protect national security,” the DHS spokesperson said Tuesday. Those whose parole was cancelled were informed via email that DHS was exercising its discretionary authority under US law to do so.
The latest orders come after the Trump administration terminated the legal status of 532,000 Cuban, Haitian, Nicaraguan, and Venezuelan migrants last month, giving them weeks to leave the country.
© 2024 AFP
