Asylum-Seekers Can Now Schedule Entry Appointments in Advance via CBP Mobile App – By Edward Graham (Nextgov) / Jan 13, 2023
Customs and Border Protection’s mobile application, launched in October 2020 to streamline access to customs services, now includes a function for migrants to schedule appointments at select U.S. ports of entry.
The Department of Homeland Security announced on Thursday that migrants located in central or northern Mexico who are hoping to enter the country through U.S. ports of entry can now schedule appointments through Customs and Border Protection’s CBP One mobile application in advance.
The CBP One app, launched in October 2020, was designed to help enhance access to a variety of customs programs and services amid the coronavirus pandemic. The app was released after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, under the Trump administration’s directive, used Title 42 of the U.S. code in March 2020 to restrict asylum-seekers and other migrants from entering the U.S. during the pandemic. The Biden administration attempted to rescind the order, but the Supreme Court ruled in December 2022 that the White House must continue to enforce Title 42.
“At this time, due to court orders requiring DHS to continue implementing the CDC’s Title 42 public health order, only noncitizens who can be considered for a humanitarian exception may use CBP One,” DHS said in a press release. “Under this order, CBP is authorized to accept individuals on a case-by-case basis, based on the totality of circumstances, including considerations of humanitarian interests. Noncitizens utilizing CBP One must attest that they believe they meet certain identified vulnerability criteria and be prepared to substantiate this claim upon presentation at a [port of entry].”
