SAN DIEGO (Border Report) — Cesar Segura said he found a loophole in Department of Homeland Security policy after reading the fine print in regard to migrants being asked to secure asylum interviews online.
Segura said he discovered migrants who can’t set up online appointments via the CBP One application due to “language barriers, illiteracy or technical issues,” can show up in person to request an interview.
On Monday of last week, he walked up to U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the San Ysidro Port of Entry asking that he be granted an appointment.
“I tried many times to set up an interview on the app but it never worked,” Segura said last week when Border Report first met him.
Segura, who is from Venezuela, was one of a couple of dozen migrants who had the same idea.
Since then, the El Sol Newspaper of Tijuana reports the number of migrants at the San Ysidro Port of Entry has grown to 400.
After spending four days and “four cold nights” in line, Segura got what he wanted as CBP officers finally called his number and let him in.
“It was our trump card to play,” Segura said in Spanish. “I want to pinch myself to make sure this is really happening.”
Segura said once U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services personnel believed he has a credible claim for asylum, he was told he would be able to remain in the United States while his court case played out in immigration court.
“I cried, shed some tears and got on my knees to thank God,” he said.
Volunteers from the San Diego Rapid Response Network, which has been helping migrants once they cross the border, picked him up outside the port of entry and took him to a shelter.
Three days later Segura was on a bus to the San Diego International Airport getting ready for a flight to Miami.
“Right now, I feel super happy,” he said.
A long-time friend he met when they were students at a university back in Venezuela has agreed to sponsor Segura in Miami.
“He is a dear friend who will be responsible for me while I try to legally find a job and get situated, I want to save as much money as I can to send it to my family,” he said.
As he got ready to enter Terminal 2 for his American Airlines flight to Florida, he glanced back at the San Diego skyline visible from the airport and flashed a smile.
“For me, it’s a sign of Liberty, I made it.”
Segura is not due in court until June 26, 2026.