SEEKING ASYLUM AT THE BORDER? NOW THERE’S AN APP FOR THAT

By Miriam Raftery

Photo:  asylum seekers – cc by SA-NC via Bing

January 12, 2023 (San Diego) – U.S. Customs and Border Patrol has announced a new phone app called CBP One that migrants seeking asylum at the U.S.-Mexico border can use to schedule an appointment. Asylum-seekers currently in central or northern Mexico must enter a photo and biographical details to request an appointment at one of eight ports of entry in California, Arizona and Texas.

The Biden administration has been seeking to reduce the number of migrants waiting in Mexico, often in dangerous camps where thousands have been preyed upon by criminals or even killed.

The app can also be used by asylum seekers to view criteria for seeking exceptions to Title 42 restrictions. Title 42 was established under the Trump administration to quickly deport migrants due to COVID-19 and the Supreme Court has blocked efforts by the Biden administration to lift Title 42.  However, the Biden administration has allowed exemptions to admit the most vulnerable asylum seekers, including unaccompanied children, people in urgent need of medical treatment, and people at highest risk of persecution or harm.

Last week, the Biden administration said it would use Title 42 to expel more Cubans, Haitians and Nicaraguans who have flocked to the U.S. Mexico border, but would also open up legal pathways for a designated number of people from those countries who enter by air and have U.S. sponsors.

These policies have drawn criticisms from some.  The app may not be accessible to everyone, since some migrants lack phones, Internet access, or language skills to use it.  (The app is available in English and Spanish, but not other languages thus far.)  There are also privacy and connectivity concerns. Tijuana authorities have indicated they will increase connectivity and train volunteers to assist asylum seekers in using the app, however.

The new requirements for Venezuelans, Haitians and Nicaraguans to enter by air and have a sponsor has also been criticized as limited access to those with means, while keeping out the poorest and potentially neediest asylum seekers fleeing dangers in their homelands.