Asylum seekers to use app to request protection at border 

Starting on Thursday, asylum seekers seeking to enter the United States must schedule immigration appointments with the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) through an app. 

Beginning on January 18 at 9 a.m. EST, migrants will be required to use the app to schedule a time to present themselves to an immigration officer at one of eight designated ports of entry for processing. 

Originally launched in October 2020, CBP One, serves as a single portal for several CBP services. The app has allowed people who legally cross the border to submit their information beforehand and non-governmental organizations to request humanitarian entry for certain individuals. 

The Department of Homeland Security believes that the use of the app for asylum seekers will make their processing more efficient, create safer conditions at the border, and reduce illegal crossings. 

“The app is designed to discourage individuals from congregating near the border and creating unsafe conditions,” said Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas in a speech last week.

Critics, however, believe that the new requirement might not be beneficial to asylum seekers. Immigration attorney Andrew Nieto told FOX 5 that the app might put the most vulnerable migrants at a disadvantage. 

“They make that dangerous trek to get to the U.S. border and then they’re told, ‘sorry, you need to find a way to go purchase an iPhone then download an app and provide personal information and find a place to wait for a couple of weeks while we set the appointment.’ It’s just not realistic and it’s going to put the most vulnerable in an even more precarious position,” he said.