SAN DIEGO (Border Report) — Monise Sainneus said she stopped working as a street vendor selling food items when her hometown in Haiti became violent, making it almost impossible to earn a living.
In October, she decided to leave Haiti for Mexico.
Sainneus, pronounced “Sen-A’s,” said immediately after arriving, she started going online hoping to secure an appointment on the CBP One app to get access to the U.S. and seek asylum.
She tried in vain for two months until finally getting an appointment.
“It was eight months ago,” Sainneus said in Spanish, a language she’s picked up while living in Mexico.
Three months ago, she arrived at a Tijuana shelter where she had been living ever since, waiting for her appointment date to arrive.
“It was very difficult,” she said.
Sainneus said trying to secure an appointment on the CBP One app was very frustrating, which is something other migrants have experienced as well.
The Biden administration has said, with few exceptions, a person can only seek asylum with a CBP One appointment at one of eight border crossings along the southern border, including Ped West at the San Ysidro Port of Entry.
Earlier this year, the app was updated to provide easier access and more appointments to migrants who can prove they are in central or northern Mexico.
Two weeks ago, U.S. Customs and Border Protection said “migrants will soon be able to also schedule appointments from the states of Tabasco and Chiapas — enabling them to make appointments without having to travel all the way north to do so.”
Currently, only 1,450 appointments are granted every day.
Migrant advocates insist that despite the changes, the app remains flawed, inconsistent and based “on the luck of the draw” while not providing enough appointments.
Sainneus agreed the app could be upgraded even further considering the number of migrants she knows who are still waiting to gain access to the U.S.
“It could be better,” she said while waiting to get picked up by personnel from Catholic Charities in San Diego.
The agency will provide temporary help for Sainneus until she can leave for Tampa, Florida.
“I will live with a cousin and get a job,” she said.