Remember that border statement from the White House back in January? The one entitled Biden-Harris Administration Announces New Border Enforcement Actions. This was it! Mr. Biden and Ms. Harris were going to finally address the emergency at the southern border.
…with an app that made it easier for migrants to enter the country. Here’s the language used to introduce the app, CBP One, in the official statement from the White House:
The Biden-Harris Administration and its international partners in the region are also announcing new and expanded legal pathways to the United States and other countries that individuals can and should use to avoid consequences for crossing the border unlawfully. These include:
Launching Online Appointment Portal to Reduce Overcrowding and Wait Times at U.S. Ports of Entry. When Title 42 eventually lifts, noncitizens located in Central and Northern Mexico seeking to enter the United States lawfully through a U.S. port of entry have access to the CBP One mobile application for scheduling an appointment to present themselves for inspection and to initiate a protection claim instead of coming directly to a port of entry to wait. This new feature will significantly reduce wait times and crowds at U.S. ports of entry and allow for safe, orderly, and humane processing.
“The CBP One app is an innovative solution we are using to facilitate the safe and orderly arrival of noncitizens who believe they meet certain vulnerability criteria and are requesting a humanitarian exception to the CDC’s Title 42 Order,” Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said in January. “When Title 42 eventually lifts, this new feature will join one of the many tools and processes this Administration is providing for individuals to seek protection in a safe, orderly, and humane manner and to strengthen the security of our borders.”
While obvious to many GOP border hawks and even some Dems that this was a mistake, Biden, Harris, and Mayorkas had high hopes for this app —but it is obviously a complete disaster.
According to Fox News, “More than 75,000 applications have either been carried out or scheduled until April 25, a CBP spokesperson told Fox News Digital this week. The spokesperson said that when appointments are opened up, they are filled within a matter of minutes.”
“But of those migrants who have had their appointments, the spokesperson said that fewer than 1% have been found not to have met the exception criteria. It means that the overwhelming majority of those who secure an appointment with the app are approved for an exception then moved into Title 8 processing — which is the regular authority for immigration removal proceedings for migrants without documents.”
“It’s like a concierge service for illegal immigrants. My question is, you didn’t think the border crisis was bad enough that now we’re going to have an app that allows illegals to schedule their appointments and come and be admitted to this country” Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO), told Mayorkas last month.
The Biden-Harris Illegal Migrant Concierge Service: pouring fuel on the border fire.
