The Customs and Border Patrol App, CBPOne, is spectacularly unfit for purpose.
Back out in #EaglePass, this evening, @TxDPS encountered a group of illegal immigrants from Venezuela & Guatemala who crossed the Rio Grande. I asked them why they cross the Rio Grande & not go to a port of entry to seek asylum or use the #CBPOne app. They responded that the app… pic.twitter.com/BgphDYOJo7
— Chris Olivarez (@LtChrisOlivarez) July 24, 2023
TRANSCRIPT: Back out in #EaglePass, this evening, @TxDPS encountered a group of illegal immigrants from Venezuela & Guatemala who crossed the Rio Grande. I asked them why they cross the Rio Grande & not go to a port of entry to seek asylum or use the #CBPOne app. They responded that the app does not work & they have been waiting months for an appointment.
This is a clear reality from the front lines. Failed border policies encourage illegal border crossings & create life-threatening risks. The State of #Texas is going above & beyond to discourage illegal border crossings & prevent the loss of life. #OperationLoneStar
In a press release at the end of June CBP said:
U.S. Customs and Border Protection today announced the expansion of available appointments for noncitizens through the CBP One™ app to 1,450 per day, up from 1,250. This represents a nearly 50 percent increase from May 12 when CBP processed 1,000 appointments per day. Scheduling an appointment in CBP One™ continues to provide a safe, orderly, and humane process for noncitizens to access ports of entry, where CBP Officers receive advance information for screening and vetting and to determine admissibility on a case-by-case basis. CBP One™ is a key component of DHS efforts to incentivize migrants to use lawful processes and disincentivize attempts at irregular or unlawful entry to the United States. Because the app provides a direct system to request appointments, it reduces the potential for smugglers or others to exploit migrants. My italics.
In fact, the app crashes and is inaccessible due to the huge numbers of migrants – some families, but primarily single men of fighting age from as far away as China – attempting to access it.
Republicans have objected using the controversial CBP One app since it was announced saying that the process is an abuse of the parole power. According to them, a case-by-case basis for urgent humanitarian reason should be required for the legal entry of these migrants.
A total of 18 states have come forward to challenge the Asylum rule and some of these states had filed lawsuits. They believe that this initiative will just increase ‘unlawful aliens’ in America.