The app was disabled on President Donald Trump’s first day in office.
Shortly after Donald Trump was sworn in as the 47th president of the United States on January 20, the controversial CBP One app used by immigrants outside the United States to make appointments at U.S. ports of entry was disabled.
CBP did not respond by the time of publication to a request for more details about the app’s deactivation, including the basis for the decision and whether it will be permanent.
At the time, CBP said, “By using the CBP One™ app to make reservations at ports of entry, we can process migrants more efficiently and orderly, while at the same time protecting unscrupulous smugglers who profit from putting vulnerable migrants at risk.” “This has improved CBP’s ability to eliminate
Migrants arriving at ports of entry with CBP One appointments undergo national security screening, but are not subject to asylum screening during the process. Instead, they will be granted humanitarian parole, allowed to work, and given a notice to appear in immigration court. It is during these proceedings, which often take years to resolve, that they can apply for asylum.
Critics claim the app was widely used by immigrants to facilitate entry into the United States. Republicans on the House Homeland Security Committee announced in October 2023 that the vast majority of immigrants who sought appointment through the app entered the country on parole with a notice to appear. Documents provided to the committee by DHS show that this represents 266,000 people who will not be admitted for other reasons, out of more than 278,000 who were scheduled to enter the country.
The commission also expressed concern about the potential misuse of the app by drug cartels.
The move to disable the app appears to be part of President Trump’s pledge to strengthen border security and crack down on illegal immigration. As part of that effort, President Trump will carry out the largest deportation operation in U.S. history, reversing Biden administration policies such as the infamous catch-and-release program that released illegal immigrants into the United States to await asylum hearings. I swore.