The CBP One App has had many critics, and for good reason! Since it was expanded by the Biden administration in January 2023 to serve as the digital gatekeeper of US asylum applications, it has been fraught with problems. However, in many ways, it was a step up the paper system, wherein asylum-seekers formed a physical line to receive physical slips of paper with numbers indicating their place in the asylum case queue. We'll explore some issues with the CBP One App, and, now that the new administration has shut the App down, where we may go from here.
Problem #1: Facial Recognition Issues
In order to apply for an asylum case, applicants were required to submit a selfie, which was matched to a photo government ID. In many cases, African and Haitian asylum seekers' selfies were not recognized via the photo capture function, presumably because the application had not been trained on individuals with darker skin. This led to a disproportionately small number of successful application submissions through the app from individuals with darker skin.
Problem #2: Access Concerns
Another swathe of concerns included the lack of access to a smartphone in order to use the application, as well as limited electricity and internet availability in border city shelters where many asylum-seekers await their asylum appointments. With 280,000 hopeful asylum-seekers competing for a daily 1,000 asylum application slots, spotty internet or electricity access is a huge disadvantage. For asylum-seekers with low literacy or whose native language is a language not available within the app (more often indigenous languages such as Nahuatl, Quechua, etc.), these barriers compound the ease of use.
Problem #3: Privacy Concerns
Asylum-seekers also had justifiable concerns about privacy, and what the government planned to do with the biometric data collected by the app. Not only were the selfies reportedly used to cross-reference photos captured of individuals crossing between ports of entry, but the problem of downloading an app that could subsequently track an individual's movements if the cookies weren't cleared or the app wasn't deleted, was a big concern.
What's Next?
The short answer is, we're not sure.
We know the new executive administration is less than friendly to asylum-seekers, and are actively working on ways to deport folks with tenuous immigration status within US borders. Whether this means a years-long hiatus on asylum applications at border ports of entry (which is, with few exceptions, similar to what occurred under Title 42), a return to the paper queue system, or something new altogether, we have yet to see.
In the meantime, find a way to pitch in to help out our neighbors with active asylum cases - get certified to perform forensic medical evaluations, get involved in an asylum or refugee clinic, and distribute Know Your Rights materials to individuals who could benefit from these resources. The struggle for human dignity and an easier pathway to citizenship isn't ending anytime soon.
Feel free to leave a comment, and share your experience if you have used the CBP One App, or any of the suggested engagement venues above.
