Mexico Migrant Protest Sees Brief Closing of El Paso Bridge

The Paso del Norte International Bridge connecting the border cities of El Paso, Texas and Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua. (Public Domain)

MEXICO CITY (AP) — A protest by some migrants led U.S. Customs and Border Protection to briefly close the Paso Del Norte International Bridge linking El Paso, Texas and the Mexican border city of Ciudad Juarez early Monday.

A CBP spokesperson said the force “took precautionary steps and initiated port hardening measures after a large group formed at the base of the crossing on the Mexican side.”

Vehicular traffic was closed for about three hours, while pedestrian traffic was more briefly affected.

The migrants were apparently frustrated with difficulties in using the online app to apply for U.S. asylum hearings.

In March, a large number of migrants in Mexico who were “posing a potential threat to make a mass entry” caused the CBP to briefly close the same bridge.

Migrants are being asked to complete a form on a phone app, CBP One app, through which they can schedule an appointment to apply to appear at a border entry point to apply for asylum.

Critics have said the app has been beset by technical problems and its not clear how many appointments are available every day.