2024-07-03 07:59:23
Foto: Shutterstock
Text: Fede Gayardo
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced new requirements that asylum seekers must meet through the CBP One application at the U.S.-Mexico border.
The measure came into effect today, July 1, 2024, and aims to reduce fraud in the appointment scheduling system on the app.
With this, the DHS will ensure that only those present in the north-central region of Mexico can access the system and will prevent fraudulent appointments from being obtained for those who are not physically in Mexico.
The new requirements therefore include that all persons over the age of 14 must take a photo in real time and undergo geolocation verification when scheduling their appointment.
According to DHS, the new policy seeks to maintain the integrity and efficiency of the appointment scheduling process, ensuring that resources are used correctly.
With real-time verification, they hope to reduce the number of fraudulent applications and therefore ensure the integrity of the process for applicants.
Appointment allocation through CBP One remains the same as before: each day at 12 noon, appointments are distributed to applicants from the previous day.
In addition, a portion of the appointments are reserved for those who have waited the longest, taking into account the date of their registration, and the rest are assigned randomly.
Despite these measures, thousands of migrants have reported serious problems with the application’s functionality in recent times.
The US government, for its part, acknowledged flaws in the app and assured that “we are working to resolve this as soon as possible.”
Reports from some migrants confirm that the waiting time for their CBP One appointments in Mexico often exceeds seven months, causing desperation among applicants who are in Mexico waiting to enter the U.S.