In the face of stricter US asylum policies, migrants in Mexico are looking to the US asylum app as a way to gain legal entry. Instead of attempting illegal crossings,

migrants are responding to the Biden administration's call to apply for asylum via mobile app. As Title 42 COVID policy ends, new asylum rules will come into effect on Friday. The new rules prevent migrants caught crossing illegally from re-entering the US for five years.

Tens of thousands of people have been scrambling to enter the US before the policy expired, overwhelming US authorities and filling up detention centers. However, with the app, many migrants in Ciudad Juarez, one of Mexico's largest border cities, have opted to stay put in relative calm.

Although the views of the migrants interviewed about the app might not be shared by all, it is clear that many more will be arriving at the US-Mexico border in the coming weeks and months. The Biden Administration has been working hard to spread the message that the border is not open, and migrants need to use the app rather than cross illegally. Photo by Tomascastelazo, Wikimedia commons.