On Sunday, March 12, the Washington Post ran a front page story about the physical hardships and digital hurdles facing asylum seekers in northern Mexico as they attempt to access our asylum system. The piece tells the story of a number of our clients in Reynosa and Matamoros, including victims of torture, families with young children, and others who are forced to rely on a glitchy smartphone app called CBP One to schedule their initial appointments with CBP at ports of entry. Because the app is so unreliable, they are stuck in dangerous, squalid conditions in border cities in Mexico, risking their life every day they are unable to secure an appointment. 

If you haven’t yet read the story, please do - it’s an incredibly important piece about a human rights crisis that deserves your attention. In this post, however, we thought we’d provide a behind the scenes look into the work that led to the Washington Post story. 

BACKGROUND

In January 2023, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) began requiring asylum seekers to apply for an appointment via the CBP One app before they reach a port of entry. In doing so, the agency stopped allowing pro bono attorneys, like Project Corazon staff and volunteers, to advocate directly on migrants’ behalf for humanitarian exemptions to the process. Now, asylum seekers are left to fend for themselves navigating an app whose terms and conditions and error messages are only in English, and which runs out of appointments in minutes.

At L4GG, we were seeing firsthand what impact this change had on our clients: they were stuck in ever worsening conditions in refugee camps in border cities in Mexico, trying desperately to find sufficient technology and wifi to access an appointment via a smartphone app. We met an asylum seeker who was severely injured while trying to find a wifi signal and others could only secure one appointment for their family, so were forced to choose between seeking asylum or separating their family. 

The situation was already bleak, and yet last month the Biden Administration proposed a new asylum rule that could make things even worse. The new proposed rule, which if allowed goes into effect in May 2023, proposes that asylum seekers figure out how to use this app, or face a presumption that they are ineligible for asylum. We knew that to have a chance at making a change, we had to get the story into the mainstream, so people across the country would better understand the real-world implications of what is being proposed.

Initial Conversations

L4GG sent a communication to a number of immigration reporters about the Biden Administration’s newly proposed asylum rule as well as difficulties our clients were having with the CBP One app. Washington Post’s Arelis Hernández replied and asked if we had any specific client stories we’d be willing to share, as an exclusive, with the Washington Post. 

We spent a number of days talking to our clients in Matamoros and Reynosa, vetting who would be a good candidate to talk to the media and finding out who was willing to share his or her individual story. Our clients are our heroes, so it’s no surprise that a number of them wanted to help advocate against these policies and get the word out. A handful of them said yes, and we let Arelis and her team know.

Coordinating a Border Trip

The Washington Post generously offered to put their weight behind this reporting by sending Arelis to Mexico as well as a photographer and videographer. To cross the border into these border cities is no easy feat. In Matamoros, a group of 4 U.S. citizens were recently kidnapped, and two of them were killed. In Reynosa, the cartels regularly wage violence.

We worked to make sure the Washington Post team had sufficient security crossing into the border and acted as their guides on the ground. At L4GG, we have worked in these spaces for years and have a number of partners on the ground, such as the Sidewalk School and a number of refugee shelters, who make it possible for our staff and volunteers to cross to meet with clients. We couldn’t have done this without them and their work is, rightfully, featured in the story as well. 

We introduced them to partner organizations and asylum seekers from all walks of life, who graciously shared their stories. The Post captured photos of the conditions our clients are living in, which are dutifully documented in the final story. They also produced a short video overview of the issue. 

After extensive fact-checking, the story was published this past Saturday, March 11, 2023 online and on Sunday, March 12, 2023 in print version of the Washington Post. 

We’re thrilled with the final product and are so grateful to Arelis Hernández for her tireless reporting and to the Washington Post for publishing such an impactful piece. We hope you’ll take the time to read it and share it with your friends and family.

How You Can Help

We hope you’ll make your voice heard on this issue and consider submitting a comment against the proposed asylum rule that would make conditions on the border even more hopeless. We put together a webinar on the topic and resources on how to submit a comment here. 

Last, but not least, we hope you’ll consider supporting our ability to continue doing this impactful work on behalf of asylum seekers and other communities facing insurmountable hurdles, by donating to L4GG here.