Biden-Harris Admin Negotiates Bus Passage Through Mexico for Migrants Using CBP-One 'Asylum' App

The latest development between the Biden/Harris administration and the government of Mexico on the immigration front will see migrants provided bussing from two southern Mexico cities to the United States border. The plan will provide the migrants headed to the United States with meals and security during travel from the two cities to the U.S. destination where the migrant’s asylum appointments are scheduled under the CBP-One application.

The government of Mexico’s National Institute of Migration (INM) announced the new program in a Spanish-language notice issued on Saturday, referring to the initiative as the “Secure Emerging Mobility Corridor.” The two departure cities in southern Mexico will be Villahermosa, Tabasco, and Tapachula, Chiapas.

The new transportation program will allow authorities in Mexico to manage better the flow of migrants traveling into the country’s interior by scheduling free travel services as appointments to be released into the United States are scheduled under the CBP-One program. Currently, 1,450 migrants are released into the United States daily under the Biden/Harris CBP-One asylum application. The migrants are not required to pass a credible fear interview, which is usually the first hurdle to a successful asylum claim.

The program’s announcement comes a week after authorities with Mexico’s INM and Biden/Harris administration representatives met in Mexico to expand the geographic region in Mexico where migrants can request CBP-One asylum appointments. The program had restricted access to schedule appointments in central and northern Mexico until last week. Allowing the appointment in southern Mexico will now allow both governments to regulate the flow of migrant travel through Mexico.

The program will offer participating migrants an immigration permit that allows them to legally travel through the country for 20 days. According to the announcement, INM will coordinate security for the buses to the United States border with local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies.

The program may face challenges due to the difficulty some migrants experience dealing with cartel violence and the lack of job opportunities in southern Mexico as they maneuver through the CBP-One application, attempting to receive an appointment. Many migrants leave the border city of Tapachula, Chiapas, in southern Mexico for larger central Mexican cities such as the nation’s capital of Mexico City, where job opportunities are more abundant.

Randy Clark is a 32-year veteran of the United States Border Patrol.  Prior to his retirement, he served as the Division Chief for Law Enforcement Operations, directing operations for nine Border Patrol Stations within the Del Rio, Texas, Sector. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) @RandyClarkBBTX.