How to request asylum or refuge in the US after the end of Title 42?

(CNN Spanish) — About 150,000 people are at the US-Mexico border hours before the end of implementation of Title 42, a Trump-era policy that allowed US authorities to quickly turn away certain migrants at the border, originally with the goal of stopping the spread of covid-19.

After the end of Title 42 this Thursday at 11:59 pm (Miami time), Title 8 will continue to be implemented, another of the current US immigration laws. to stop arrivals at the southern border.

This regulation, according to the Secretary of National Security, Alejandro Mayorkas, implies “tougher consequences” for those who cross the border illegally and would make the process stricter for asylum seekers. US officials urge asylum seekers to use the mobile app to make an appointment at a port of entry instead of trying to cross the border.

In addition, under Title 8, migrants who have traveled through other countries en route to the US-Mexico border would be largely barred from applying for asylum in the US if they have not already done so in those other countries. countries through which they passed.

Despite the insistence of US authorities that the border is not open, and whoever enters irregularly or does not qualify for asylum will be deported, thousands of people maintain the hope of being able to enter the United States.

So, how to apply for asylum or refuge in the United States after the end of Title 42? Here we tell you:

How to apply for asylum in the US?

Migrants who want to request asylum at the US-Mexico border. they will now need to make an appointment through the CBP One mobile app to show up at a point of entry and begin the process. This is what you should do:

• Request and schedule an appointment through the CBP One mobile app. You can download it here for Android and here for IOS.
• Once you sign up for the app and submit your request, you will receive a notification to confirm your appointment. You have 23 hours to confirm it.
• Take into account that those interested in applying for asylum have to be physically in central or northern Mexico to schedule the appointment in the application.
• Once the appointment is scheduled, applicants must present themselves at one of the US entry points.

Asylum under Title 8

Title 8 allows migrants to apply for asylum, which can be a long, drawn-out process that begins with what they call a credible fear assessment by asylum officers before the migrant’s cases progress through the system. immigration court.

That includes implementing a new asylum rule that will largely bar immigrants who passed through another country from seeking asylum in the U.S. The rule, proposed earlier this year, will make migrants ineligible for asylum. in the US if they did not first seek refuge in a country they transited through, such as Mexico, on their way to the border. Immigrants who secure an appointment through the CBP One app will be exempt, according to officials.

With information from CNN’s Catherine E. Shoichet, Dakin Andone and Priscilla Alvarez