Biden admin announces changes to CBP One app

More appointments will be made available each day
People will also be given more time to schedule an appointment
The app is meant to help facilitate an orderly immigration process

Updated: May 5, 2023 / 03:49 PM CDT

Federal officers remove handcuffs from men before releasing them through a gate in a border wall to Tijuana, Mexico, Wednesday, March 15, 2023, in San Diego. The Biden administration will open migration centers in South and Central America for asylum seekers heading to the U.S.-Mexico border, in a bid to slow what’s expected to be a surge of migrants seeking to cross the border as pandemic-era immigration restrictions end, U.S. officials said Thursday, April 27.

(NewsNation) — U.S. Customs and Border Protection is making changes to the CBP One app, which was launched in an effort to create a more safe, orderly and humane process for those attempting to seek asylum in the United States.

CBP announced it would be expanding the number of appointments and allowing for more time to make an appointment.

As Title 42 is set to expire, the Biden administration has touted the app as a way to reduce the influx of migrants coming to seek asylum at ports of entry, a number that is expected to surge when Title 42 ends.

The current version of the app makes all appointments available at a specific time in the day, giving people a short window to schedule. The new process will have two steps to request and confirm appointments, with each having a 23-hour window to be completed.

Last month, migrants told NewsNation they were frustrated with the app, saying it was prone to crashes and was difficult to use.

CBP says it is also expanding the number of appointments to approximately 1,000 per day, with hopes to continue adding more in the future.

The Biden administration says the CBP One app is a step toward cutting out smugglers that prey on migrants desperate to reach the U.S. by allowing a legal and safe way for people to request entry without overwhelming border agent.s

In order to request and schedule an appointment, non-citizens must first be located in central or northern Mexico. Currently, eight points of entry offer appointments through the app.