Mexican government buses migrants to US border as illegal immigration becomes top election issue

The Mexican government has started busing migrants to the U.S. border if they have appointments under a controversial use of a phone app implemented by the Biden administration that allows migrants to be paroled into the U.S. 

The Mexican National Institute of Migration posted the video of what it said was the first bus transporting “foreigners” from Tapachula, in the south of the country near Guatemala, to Reynosa near the U.S. border. It said that migrants will attend their appointments scheduled via the CBP One app. It is part of an “Emerging Safe Mobility Corridor” launched by the Mexican government last month.

The CBP One app was expanded during the Biden administration to allow up to 1,450 migrants per day to schedule an appointment at a U.S. port of entry to be paroled into the U.S. if they meet certain conditions. The app also allows them to upload documents ahead of that appointment.

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This video shows migrants being transported on a bus by the Mexican government. (INAMI)

The Biden administration has said that the app is a key part of its migration strategy, which involves increasing funding to the border while expanding “lawful” migration pathways. It has also used the app to allow up to 30,000 nationals from four countries to fly directly into the U.S. after being approved.

But Republicans 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 significant public benefit. They have said that the administration is waving in migrants quasi-legally, and have pointed to numbers suggesting that over 95% of migrants who schedule an appointment are allowed in.

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

This video shows migrants being spoken to by a Mexican official. (INAMI)

The app recently came under fire from a DHS Inspector General report, which found issues with vetting among other problems with the app.

“Although CBP uses biographic and biometric information submitted to CBP One to determine whether arriving noncitizens have derogatory records, it does not leverage the information to identify suspicious trends as part of its pre-arrival vetting procedures,” the report said.

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Meanwhile, immigration has become a top election issue after a three-year crisis at the southern border that repeatedly smashed records. The Biden administration has called for the backing of a bipartisan Senate bill that would increase funding for the border. It has blamed the crisis on the failure of Congress to provide that funding.

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DHS is also pointing to a sharp decrease in apprehensions since President Biden signed an order to allow authorities to temporarily suspend the entry of illegal immigrants across the border. Officials say that has led to a 50% decrease in apprehensions since that time. It also says it has removed more than 131,000 individuals to 144 countries, including 420 international deportation flights. Officials say they have also tripled the percentage of non-citizens processed through Expedited Removal to Mexico while in custody.

Republicans, including former President Trump, have blamed the crisis on the policies of the Biden administration and the rolling back of what they see as successful Trump-era policies. Trump has promised to shut down parole policies and launch a massive deportation operation if elected in November.