U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced it was increasing the number of migrants allowed into the country through its CBP One mobile app.
The app will now allow up to 1,450 migrants a day to book appointments with border officials and cross into the U.S. to have their asylum cases reviewed.
CBP officers were processing up to 1,000 appointments made through the app per day on May 12, the day after the immigration policy Title 42 ended. By June, the number increased to 1,250 appointments.
Through the app, migrants can submit their information and asylum application for border officials to review, as well as schedule an appointment with an official up to 14 days in advance.
CBP One allows migrants to schedule their appointments at eight different ports of entry along the U.S.-Mexico border: Brownsville, Paso Del Norte, Eagle Pass, Hidalgo, and Laredo In Texas; Calexico and San Ysidro in California; and Nogales in Arizona.
“CBP is expanding the number of available appointments at ports of entry for the second time in less than two months, through scheduling enhancements and operational efficiencies,” said acting CBP Commissioner Troy Miller in a statement.
“By utilizing innovative technologies like CBP One, we are improving the delivery of our homeland security mission and providing for safe and efficient processes at ports of entry,” he added.
However, demand for appointments is high as the number of undocumented migrants seeking asylum at the border continues to increase. According to a report by The New York Times published in May, around 62,000 migrants were competing for the limited number of slots that the application offered.
Despite the application’s promises, users have complained that it is plagued with tech difficulties. Disgruntled users claim that the app crashed when they try to upload any information for the asylum application, hindering their asylum claims and delaying the process.
Other migrants have claimed to have found a loophole in the mobile app that allows them to claim asylum at the border without previously making an appointment.
Migrant Caesar Segura, found that the application’s fine print states that if “language barriers, illiteracy or technical issues” are presented while using the app, the individual can show up to a port of entry and request an interview, according to Border Report.
After Segura, many migrants have also avoided having to schedule an appointment.
Related Story: Asylum Seekers Find Loophole in CBP App to Enter U.S.
