When individuals arrive at U.S. Ports of Entry (POE), the Immigration and Nationality Act requires they are processed by United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP). All individuals processed at POEs are thoroughly screened and vetted, and individuals who pose a national security or public safety concern are detained. On a case-by-case basis, those with CBP One appointments may be enrolled in immigration proceedings that will determine whether they have a legal basis to remain in the United States. Processing at POEs is safer, humane, and more orderly than encounters between POEs.
The CBP One App is a free online tool available to migrants in Central and Northern Mexico for individuals to schedule appointments to present themselves at a POE along the Southwest Border. Scheduling appointments makes the process safer and more orderly, and the advance information that is submitted to CBP Officers creates a more efficient and streamlined process for CBP and for individuals.
CBP One is an example of how the U.S. Government has expanded access to lawful and orderly pathways and processes, even as it continues to apply strengthened consequences for unlawful and unauthorized entry. These expanded pathways and processes combined with tough enforcement measures are designed to cut out smugglers and reduce their ability to extort migrants. Since its launch on January 18, 2023 through the end of June, more than 170,000 individuals have successfully scheduled an appointment to safely and orderly present at a designated POE. The top nationalities who have scheduled appointments are Haitian, Mexican, and Venezuelan.
CBP One Provides Access to Safe and Orderly Processing
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Individuals who present at one of eight POEs (Nogales, Brownsville, Eagle Pass, Hidalgo, El Paso, Calexico, and San Ysidro) with CBP One appointments along the Southwest Border are vetted and processed, which includes biographic and biometric security vetting and background screening.
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Individuals who are processed into the United States are generally placed into immigration proceedings and, on a case-by-case basis, may be considered for a period of parole for up to two years to continue their immigration proceedings under Title 8 of the Immigration and Nationality Act. Individuals paroled into the U.S. are generally eligible to apply for an Employment Authorization Document (EAD).
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Because the app provides a direct way for individuals to request their own appointments, it reduces the potential for smugglers or others to exploit migrants. CBP One enables migrants to secure an appointment while waiting away from the border and only travel to present at a POE for their scheduled date.
Improving Technology and Increasing Efficiency
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CBP has increased the number of available appointments to 1,450 per day, up nearly 50 percent from the 1,000 appointments per day on May 12, when the process started.
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Improvements to the CBP One app include allowing additional time to complete requests and prioritizing those who have been waiting the longest. Now, individuals with limited connectivity have the same opportunity to schedule appointments as those with better internet connections.
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Each day, CBP One allocates the majority of appointments randomly; the remainder are allocated to the requestors who have been waiting the longest for an appointment. Appointments do not guarantee admission or parole. CBP Officers determine on a case-by-case basis whether each applicant may be paroled into the United States including while they go through immigration proceedings.
Expanding Access and Disincentivizing Irregular Migration
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Since expanding the number of appointments, more than two thirds of individuals who recently used CBP One secured an appointment in less than eight weeks.
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There are consequences for unlawful entry. Do not believe the lies of smugglers. As of the publishing date of this fact sheet, those who fail to use one of the many lawful pathways we have expanded are presumed ineligible for asylum and, if they do not have a basis to remain, are subject to prompt removal, a minimum five year bar on admission, and potential criminal prosecution for unlawful reentry.
More information on the CBP One mobile application, available in English, Spanish, Haitian Creole, Portuguese, and Russian, can be found here. The CBP One application can be downloaded for free from the Apple and Google Application Stores as well from the CBP website.