The clock could be ticking for thousands of asylum seekers who have been waiting months for an appointment to show up at a U.S. port of entry, as President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration approaches.

At the Juventud 2000 migrant shelter in Tijuana, some people have already given up.

The uncertainty comes as Trump has signaled that he will end the appointment process included in the CBP One app, which was implemented by U.S. Customs and Border Protection two years ago as a way for asylum seekers to present themselves for processing at a designated port of entry in an orderly and safe manner rather than through illegal pathways.

“We’re desperate,” said Rosa Blancas, an asylum seeker who has been trying to get an appointment for two months.

Nearly 905,000 individuals secured an appointment through the CBP One application from January 2023 to November 2024, according to CBP. The most prevalent nationalities were Venezuelan, Cuban and Mexican, officials said.

But the demand is far greater than the number of daily appointments available along the U.S.-Mexico border.

In July, the average number of appointment requests received by CBP per day was 282,824 — yet the federal agency only grants a total of 1,450 appointments per day, less than 1%. A CBP spokesperson said this past week that appointment demand remains “generally consistent” with those numbers.

To get a coveted appointment at one of eight designated ports of entry, users in Mexico must search for an appointment every day. Some ports of entry are more impacted than others.

“The number of appointments is determined by a port’s capability and capacity to process noncitizens,” reads the final rule on President Joe Biden’s asylum executive order published in the Federal Register. “CBP’s ability to process undocumented noncitizens in a timely manner at land border POEs (ports of entry) is dependent on CBP resources, including infrastructure and personnel.”

Blancas, who is the sole provider for her 11-month-old daughter and elderly parents, said the family has been trying to get an appointment with no luck. “It’s frustrating,” said the native of Guerrero, Mexico, which she said they left because of violence.

The app’s lottery mentality, coupled with technical glitches and limited features, has been a constant source of frustration for users over the past two years. Still, it is a lifeline for those who have been able to secure their place in line.

Those who have an appointment must present themselves at their chosen port of entry to be screened and vetted by CBP officers. This process does not guarantee admission or parole, officials said.

“CBP Officers determine on a case-by-case basis whether each applicant may be paroled into the United States including while they go through immigration proceedings.”

Not so long ago, the Juventud 2000 shelter, located near the U.S.-Mexico border, housed more than 150 migrants, mostly Mexican nationals. On Thursday, there were 80 — asylum seekers “still waiting to see what might happen,” said shelter director Jose María García.

“Many are giving up and settling in the city because they can’t go back to their place of origin,” García said. “And others left to try to cross illegally.”

Blancas said she and her family are not giving up yet. “We still have faith,” she said. “Even though there are people who have left, we are still waiting. God first.”

Trump framed CBP One as a “phone app for smuggling illegals” during his campaign and pledged to shut it down. Immigrant rights advocates have no doubts that he could do so.

“Anything is possible,” said Soraya Vázquez, deputy director of Al Otro Lado, a binational organization that provides legal assistance to migrants. “He has the authority and the capability to do it.”

The Trump transition team’s press office did not respond to an inquiry about the future of the app. But Trump’s pick for “border czar,” Tom Homan, former acting director for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, has reiterated that the Trump administration plans to end it on Day One.

In September, while still on the campaign trail, Trump went a step further and said in an interview with Fox News that he would seek to revoke the parole of migrants who entered the country through the CBP One program, as well as others, as part of his mass deportation plan.

On Wednesday, more than 100 asylum seekers showed up with a confirmed appointment at the Mexican side of the San Ysidro PedWest border crossing. They looked relieved.

Standing in line were Mary Cruz Vivas and her family, asylum seekers from Venezuela. They had been trying to get an appointment since mid-September. Finally, on Dec. 21, Vivas’ birthday, they got the notification they had been waiting for.

“It’s like winning the lottery,” she said.

Throughout the morning, Vivas couldn’t hide a beaming smile — the family had even arrived hours in advance. They, too, were once anxious about their future after Trump won the election.

“We were worried about that,” her husband, Euglise Lugo, said of the possibility of not getting an appointment before Jan. 20, when Trump begins his second term.

If that had been the case, Vivas said, they would have considered staying in Mexico. But returning to Venezuela, they said, was not an option. Lugo said they left for political reasons and were looking for a better future for their family.

They waited alongside other Venezuelans, as well as people from Mexico, El Salvador and other countries. Some said they had been waiting for an appointment for six to nine months, and one Mexican woman traveling with her family said she had been trying for “almost a year.”

Vázquez, of Al Otro Lado, said that with Trump in the White House, some people should consider other options, such as legalizing their immigration status in Mexico or returning to their place of origin. “People need to start thinking about a backup plan in terms of their life project,” she said.

Despite the current appointment process, she said people have the right to show up at a U.S. port of entry and request asylum — “the problem is whether or not they’re going to be admitted.”

Óscar Mendoza, from the Mexican state of Morelos, is part of a family of 10 waiting for an appointment at the Juventud 2000 shelter. Every day, he goes to his phone and sends his request at a certain time, hoping to get an appointment.

Mendoza, who came to the border with his wife, children and grandchildren, said he was saddened that he still had no response. “It is a helpless feeling,” he said. “So close and yet so far.”

The family left Morelos because of violence and indicated that they would not return if they did not get an appointment. Instead, Mendoza, who works for a telecommunications company, said they would stay in Tijuana.

Mendoza has been following Trump’s remarks through the media. “What he said is that he’s coming with an iron fist against migrants,” he said. “It’s worrying for us because we don’t know what’s going to happen.”

But one thing is for sure — he and his family will keep trying to get an appointment until the very end.

_____

©2025 The San Diego Union-Tribune. Visit sandiegouniontribune.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.