Overnight, changes to U.S. immigration and border policy are already having a real-world impact—and it’s even showing up in app stores.
The day after the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) shut down its CBP One app, which allowed migrants to apply for asylum and book appointments to legally enter the U.S., Mexico’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs launched an app of its own to provide information and services to Mexican nationals in the U.S.
Mexico’s new ConsulApp Contigo, which became available Tuesday, is described in the App Store as a “comprehensive care tool” for Mexican immigrants in vulnerable situations, with access to consular offices locations and information on legal rights and procedures. The name suggests the app is a consulate you can take with you. The app icon depicts a button with lines suggesting an alert emanating from it. According to its description, the app does not collect data.
THE CBP ONE APP’S SUDDEN SHUTDOWN
The launch of the app comes on the heels of new executive orders by President Donald Trump related to immigration and border policy that hardens the U.S.-Mexico border and cracks down on illegal immigration. Another order attempts to undue the 14th Amendment’s birthright citizenship protections, which grants U.S. citizenship to babies born in the U.S.
The CBP One app, launched by CBP during former President Joe Biden’s administration, allowed users to check border wait times, apply for a provisional entry to cross the border or for asylum, or schedule appointments at ports of entry. The app offered a civic design solution to solve immigration backups, providing a convenient way for people to access information and services on their phones.
A website for the app now says it is no longer available as of January 20, 2025, the day Trump took office, and existing appointments have been cancelled, leaving many migrants stranded.
MEXICO’S CONSULAPP LAUNCHES AS A NEW DIGITAL RESOURCE
The most striking feature of the ConsulApp design is a red button at the bottom of the app that shows a phone icon labeled “Attention Button” with the instructions to hold for five seconds “if you need help.” The feature is designed for Mexican nationals facing detention. Press it, and a user’s emergency contacts and the nearest Mexican consulate will get an alert.
The app comes amid heightened concerns about what the Trump administration’s immigration policy changes mean for Mexicans in the U.S. The only Mexican Consulate with a 24/7 call center is in Tucson, Arizona, and it’s been inundated with calls, the head of the consulate Rafael Barceló Durazo tells AZPM, a PBS and NPR station in Southern Arizona.
“It’s very, very important for the people to understand that, regardless of their immigration status, they do have constitutional rights,” Barceló Durazo said.
As of this writing, the ConsulApp Contigo was No. 6 in Education on the Apple App Store. As the Trump administration works to implement its new border and immigration policies, expect it to rise even higher.
