A Dark Day and Uncertain Future for Asylum-Seekers

January 23, 2025

By Fr. Brian Strassburger, SJ

Yesterday [January 20, 2025] was a dark day for migrants on the U.S.-Mexico border. Many of the people in shelters we visit had received their CBP One appointment to legally enter the United States in the coming days. Some have been waiting for months, since June and July – well before the election, before the assassination attempt on Trump, and before Biden had even stepped down. Doesn’t that all seem so long ago? Imagine being in a shelter for that long. They were trying to do things the right way—wait for an appointment and legally enter the U.S.

They were holding onto hope until the very end, thinking that even if the rumors were true that the CBP One app would be shut down, the government might at least have the dignity to honor the appointments that have already been scheduled.

But just moments after Donald Trump was sworn into office, as he still sat in the rotunda of the Capitol Building, a message went out to everyone with a confirmed appointment for the coming days. The CBP One app would no longer schedule appointments to enter the U.S., and every existing appointment had been canceled.

This news has crushed people’s hopes and has left them in complete confusion and despair. “What’s next? What can we do?” That’s what our friends in shelters are asking us. We don’t have an answer.

Jesuit priest in alb and stole extends hands in blessing over dark-haired woman with head bowed.
Father Brian Strassburger, SJ, blesses a migrant at the Casa del Migrante shelter in Brownsville, Texas.

But we know this much: we will be there with them. Today, we are returning to shelters to hug and cry with our friends. We want to assure them that they are not alone. That we will continue to walk with them, and more importantly, God is with them.

Please join us in praying for all those in a situation of despair and desperation. We know there is more to come, including mass deportations that will affect communities and families across the country. So let’s all look for ways to stand up for the most vulnerable and push back against inhumane and unjust immigration policy.

For a quick summary of yesterday’s anti-immigrant executive orders, click this link from the Center for Gender and Refugee Studies (CGRS).

Editor’s note: This piece was originally published as part of Del Camino Border Ministries’ outreach to supporters via their newsletter. Click to sign up. Listen to the Jesuit Border Podcast to learn more about Jesuit ministry on the U.S.-Mexico border. 

If you want to support the work of the Jesuits on the border, you can donate through this site. Choose Del Camino Jesuit Border Ministries from the menu options. Thank you! 

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