A Day In, The New Trump Administration Is Already Causing Terrifying Damage

Note: This post is an Op-Ed and shares the author's personal views.

Yesterday, shortly after Donald Trump was inaugurated, the CBP One app shut down.

A man in a suit addresses an audience from a podium with a presidential seal, surrounded by officials in a formal setting
Kevin Dietsch / Getty Images

The flawed app was the only way that people at the border could get an appointment to request asylum in the US. This meant that refugees suddenly found that their appointments to legally enter the country were canceled after months of waiting. The number of appointments canceled reportedly went into the tens of thousands.

People gathered at a border checkpoint at night, with authorities checking documents

One such place was at the border in Ciudad Juarez, where the app had worked earlier that morning and allowed people to go through as planned. I can't stop thinking about one of the pictures that emerged from the area. It's of Margelis Tinoco, a 48-year-old Colombian migrant.

Person outside in winter clothing, appearing emotional, with eyes closed and hand near face, standing against a gate
Christian Chavez / AP

Washington Post reporter Arelis R. Hernández shared a video of Margelis crying and calling for God, adding, "For clarification, everyone of these folks submitted biometric, biographical & other ID info to the U.S. govt via app in order to enter the country LEGALLY through this Biden admin program that sought to cut illegals entries. They had DHS-sanctioned appointments set for today."

Twitter: @arelisrhdz

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Her feelings are echoed in migrant Maria Mercado's story. As per AP News, her family had an appointment for 1 p.m. — just four hours too late. “We don’t know what we are going to do,” she told reporters, after having to leave both Colombia and Ecuador because of drug cartel violence. "I’m not asking the world for anything — only God. I’m asking God to please let us get in."

A person in a hooded jacket comforts a child wrapped in a blanket on a busy sidewalk, surrounded by others clad in warm clothing
A person in a hooded jacket comforts a child wrapped in a blanket on a busy sidewalk, surrounded by others clad in warm clothing
People sitting together, some wearing masks and hoodies, appear concerned while looking at a phone screen inside a room with corrugated metal walls
People sitting together, some wearing masks and hoodies, appear concerned while looking at a phone screen inside a room with corrugated metal walls

Anadolu / Anadolu via Getty Images, Picture Alliance / dpa/picture alliance via Getty Images

Around 400 people typically used the app to cross the border legally per day in Tijuana.

Another person, Jairol Polo, had been able to get an appointment on Wednesday after trying for six months. He subsequently flew to the Matamoros-Brownsville border, only to find out that the appointment was canceled. "Imagine how we feel,” he told AP News. Similarly, a woman tearfully told NBC News that her appointment had been canceled after a year and a half of waiting.

People sitting closely together, looking somber, with heads bowed. One person is on a phone. The setting suggests a serious or reflective moment
People sitting closely together, looking somber, with heads bowed. One person is on a phone. The setting suggests a serious or reflective moment
Two individuals embrace warmly, one looking directly at the camera, conveying a sense of comfort and support
Two individuals embrace warmly, one looking directly at the camera, conveying a sense of comfort and support

Guillermo Arias / AFP via Getty Images, Picture Alliance / dpa/picture alliance via Getty Images

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Some Trump supporters celebrated the move, falsely claiming it would halt people "breaking the law." While the path to asylum died, plenty of billionaires had a great time celebrating Trump's inauguration.

A group of people, including a woman in a white blazer and several men in suits, gathered at a formal event
Pool / Getty Images

There is currently no way to appeal, thanks to a man who doesn't appear to know the difference between political and mental asylum. But that's the Trump way: misinformed and callously cruel.