FB pixel

US asylum app’s problems deeper than policy changes in Washington

US asylum app’s problems deeper than policy changes in Washington
 

It is possible that an information technology solution exists for the asylum crisis along the U.S.-Mexico border, but Washington’s biometric CBP One app is likely not it.

CBP One, which is approaching its third anniversary, is back in the news as Covid health restrictions on immigration – Title 42 — ended this week. Washington has asked those who previously had been prohibited from entry to join everyone else in using CBP One to get asylum interviews.

The implication is that the new app users will cripple CBP One, when most of the news coverage and analysis of the app’s performance has been negative to begin with. There are no shortage of reports that asylum seekers are experiencing poor performance (including alleged bias) when using CBP One.

The software runs on phones, but there also is a lesser-known desktop version.

The CBP stands for Customs and Border Protection, a federal agency with a spotty humanitarian record tasked with herculean task of securing boundaries that are among the longest and most remote.

Its app has a broader mandate than is common knowledge. According to the government’s 35-page privacy impact assessment of CBP One, it has functions intended for travelers, importers, brokers, carriers and international organizations. The app is integrated with the government’s Login.gov identification service.

A day before Title 42 expired, the agency redrew some rules – for example, would-be applicants no longer have to access CBP One everyday all at the same hour. And people have 23 hours to accept and schedule an appointment that has been granted.

Also, biometric data can be submitted earlier in the process, before first and secondary meetings, or inspections.

Human rights advocates continue to decry the mandatory features of CBP One. According to Amnesty International, making the app the de facto sole avenue for seeking refuge across borders is a “clear violation of international human rights law.”

Arguments that mobile phones are ubiquitous and that they are being used on the border to create order among asylum seekers cut no ice with Amnesty and other organizations. The border can be made secure without needless surveillance and intrusiveness, migrant advocates maintain.

There also are concerns that privacy for asylum seekers is being abandoned in the rush to digitize border crossings.

Article Topics

 |   |   |   |   |   | 

Latest Biometrics News

 

Findynet funding development of six digital wallet solutions

Finnish public-private cooperative Findynet has announced it will award 60,000 euros (US$69,200) to six digital wallet vendors to help translate…

 

Patchwork of age check, online safety legislation grows across US

As the U.S. waits for the Supreme Court’s opinion on the Texas case of Paxton v. Free Speech Coalition, which…

 

AVPA laud findings from age assurance tech trial

The Age Verification Providers Association (AVPA), and several of its members, have welcomed the publication of preliminary findings from the…

 

Sri Lanka to launch govt API policies and guidelines

Sri Lanka’s government, in the wake of its digital economy drive, is gearing up to release application programming interface (API)…

 

Netherlands’ asylum seeker ID cards from Idemia use vertical ICAO format

The Netherlands will introduce new identity documents for asylum seekers Idemia Smart Identity, compliant with the ICAO specification for vertical…

 

Zenoo integrates Trinsic, Sumsub for advanced digital ID onboarding options

Onboarding and compliance orchestration engine provider Zenoo has formed a pair of partnerships to give its customers a broader range…

Comments

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Biometric Market Analysis

Most Viewed This Week

Featured Company

Biometrics Insight, Opinion

Digital ID In-Depth

Biometrics White Papers

Biometrics Events