Mexican government sends migrants to US border by bus as illegal immigration becomes election issue

Mexico’s government has begun flying migrants to the U.S. border if they have appointments under a controversial use of a phone app rolled out by the Biden administration that allows migrants to enter the U.S. conditionally

Mexico’s National Institute of Migration released a video showing what it said was the first bus carrying “foreigners” from Tapachula in the country’s south, near Guatemala, to Reynosa near the U.S. border. It added that the migrants would arrive for appointments scheduled through the CBP One app, part of the “Emerging Safe Mobility Corridor” launched by the Mexican government last month.

The CBP One app has been expanded under the Biden administration to allow up to 1,450 migrants per day to schedule an appointment at a U.S. port of entry for parole into the U.S. if they meet certain conditions. The app also lets them upload documents in advance of that appointment.

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The Biden administration has said the app is a key part of its migration strategy, which includes increasing funding at the border while expanding “legal” pathways for migration. It has also used the app to allow up to 30,000 citizens from four countries to fly directly to the U.S. once approved.

Republicans, however, have accused the administration of abusing humanitarian parole, which is supposed to be used on a case-by-case basis for urgent humanitarian reasons or to achieve significant public benefit. They have said the administration is allowing migrants in quasi-legally and have pointed to figures suggesting that more than 95% of migrants who get an appointment are admitted.

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The Mexican government announced in a press release last month a plan to transport foreign nationals to the U.S. border as part of a “safe mobility corridor.” Mexico said it would issue a temporary 20-day visa to those with a confirmed CBP One appointment and provide them with transportation and food.

The app recently came under fire in a report by the DHS Inspector General that found, among other things, problems with the vetting process.

“While CBP uses biographic and biometric information transmitted to CBP One to determine whether arriving aliens have negative records, it does not use this information to identify suspicious trends as part of pre-arrival screening procedures,” the report said.

Meanwhile, immigration has become a major election issue after a three-year crisis at the southern border that has repeatedly broken records. The Biden administration has called for support for a bipartisan Senate bill that would increase funding for the border, blaming the crisis on Congress’s failure to provide that funding.

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DHS also cites a sharp decline in apprehensions since President Biden signed an executive order allowing authorities to temporarily suspend the entry of undocumented immigrants across the border. Officials say that has led to a 50% drop in apprehensions since then. It also says it has deported more than 131,000 people to 144 countries, including 420 international deportation flights. Officials also say it has tripled the percentage of noncitizens processed for expedited removal to Mexico while in custody.

Republicans, including former President Donald Trump, blame the crisis on administration policies and a rollback of what they see as successful Trump-era policies. Trump has promised to end parole and launch a mass deportation operation if elected in November.