Navigating the U.S.-Mexico Border: Digital Practices of Migrants and Their Psychosocial Needs

Information, mobile phones, and access to the internet have become vital necessities for asylum seekers waiting in Mexico. Smartphone use is associated with issues of literacy and digital literacy, use of social media platforms, misinformation, loss of digital information, unreliable internet access, and privacy issues. The U.S. government has instituted the CBP One™ application as the only way for migrants to request and schedule an appointment at any of the eight eligible ports of entry in the southwest U.S. border and begin the asylum process. Only 1,450 CBP One™ appointments are available daily for all eligible ports of entry, resulting in asylum seekers waiting for long periods in Mexico.

This paper presents the findings of a project investigating migrants’ digital practices, digital tools as forms of risk and protection, the issues surrounding CBP One™, and migrants’ perceived needs along the U.S.-Mexico border. The research project explores: first, the role of information technology and social media for asylum-seekers along the U.S.-Mexico border, and second, their perceived needs (including mental health), available social supports, and challenges while waiting at the border.

The project used a mixed-methods approach; it included in-depth interviews, participant observation, and standardized measurements of well-being (WHO-5) and perceived needs in humanitarian settings (HESPER). Data was analyzed using STATA and NVivo. The research team conducted 82 interviews with migrants in all the corresponding Mexican cities to the eight ports of entry eligible to process people through the CBP One app. The project used a convenience sample of migrant, refugee, and asylum-seeking adults staying at migrant shelters and using CBP One™ to obtain an appointment. During the recruitment process, migrants received information about the purpose of the research. The team obtained verbal consent, and migrants’ identities were anonymized. Interviews were conducted in Spanish. The research team also conducted ten interviews with shelter directors and staff.

Findings showed that WhatsApp, Facebook, YouTube, and Facebook Messenger were the most used sources of information for migrants. However, migrants relied on people and close contacts they trusted to confirm that information. 22% of the interviewees have been waiting between one and six months, and 16% have been waiting between six and twelve months to obtain an interview with CBP. The results of the WHO-5 signaled that 29% of interviewees showed symptoms of depression. The results also indicated higher rates (53%) of poor well-being. The HESPER indicated that the interviewees’ main concerns were income, being displaced, communal and individual mental health, and access to information.

No longer just a physical barrier, U.S. policy has now transformed the border into a digital obstacle to overcome. To address digital restrictions and humanitarian concerns at the U.S.-Mexico border, it is imperative that social workers and humanitarian practitioners continue developing appropriate psychosocial and mental health interventions for stranded populations and address information deficits. They also need to continue advocating for a just immigration reform. Questions remain regarding how people navigate arrival at U.S. destinations and the use of social media as a source of information.