Over 75 Organizations Urge Biden Administration to Implement Protection Measures for CBP One Users, Changes to CBP One, and Restore Asylum

Human Rights Watch, Sept. 18, 2024

"Dear President Biden, Secretary Mayorkas and Secretary Blinken,

We, the undersigned human rights, humanitarian, civil society, and faith-based organizations, are writing to you in response to the recent announcement by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) that—as of August 23—non-Mexican individuals will be able to request appointments through the CBP One mobile application from the states of Tabasco and Chiapas to present at U.S. ports of entry. Previously, the CBP One app only allowed users to request and schedule appointments above the 19th parallel—in the center and north of Mexico. The announcement also indicated that CBP One’s algorithm will prioritize registered users with longer waiting periods, and it noted that CBP will continue to offer 1,450 daily CBP One appointments across the U.S.-Mexico border.

While we welcome the announced changes to expand access to CBP One appointments to asylum seekers in the states of Tabasco and Chiapas and to prioritize appointments for people who have been registered for longer, we urge you to restore full access to asylum at the U.S.-Mexico border, to coordinate protection measures for people waiting for a CBP One appointment with the Mexican government, to allow appointment rescheduling for people who miss or otherwise cannot attend their appointments due to circumstances beyond their control, including crimes against them in Mexico, such as kidnappings, and take other critical steps outlined below. ... "