'We'll Give You a Visa:' Scammers use the name Asylum Access to deceive migrants
An advertisement for legal services related to immigration near the immigration station in Guadalupe, Nuevo León. Photo by Teresa González
Factchequeado
After exploring several options to legalize her stay in Mexico, Alicia, whose real name we are withholding for security reasons, received a call on her cell phone that seemed to bring her hope.
She had already managed to reach the city of Monterrey, Nuevo León, in northern Mexico, just south of Texas, and had secured an appointment with immigration officials in the United States through the CBP One app, implemented by the Biden administration to try to manage the growing number of migrants arriving in the country in search of asylum. But after Donald Trump took office last January, her plans changed.
The person who called her in March 2025 told her that they knew of her interest in working in North America, claimed to be calling from the organization Asylum Access, and that they had a work visa for her in Canada. If she was willing to change her destination, they could help her. She just had to go to their offices, located in a shopping mall.
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