INSIGHTi
CBP One Application: Evolution and
Functionality
May 30, 2023
In October 2020, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) launched CBP One, a mobile application
and portal for the public to interact with CBP. Its functions differ depending on user type (e.g., carrier,
traveler), and its features have evolved since its inception. Cargo carriers use CBP One to schedule
appointments for the inspection of perishable items, and international travelers use it to apply for and
view current arrival/departure I-94 forms. Previously, international organizations used it to verify the
enrollment of individuals in Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP, or “Remain in Mexico”; for information
on this earlier CBP One function, see CRS Insight IN11695, Facial Recognition Technology for Certain
Traveler and Noncitizen Identity Verification).
In January 2023, the Biden Administration announced a new function of CBP One that allows
undocumented individuals to schedule appointments with immigration officials before their arrival at
certain southwest border ports of entry (POEs). This Insight provides information on the new function.
CBP One for Booking Appointments at Southwest Border Ports of Entry
Historically, CBP has not received advance information on undocumented individuals prior to their arrival
at POEs. Now, CBP One users can submit advance biographic and biometric information to CBP and can
subsequently schedule appointments with officials at certain southwest border POEs. The information
users enter into the app is information CBP would otherwise collect during primary and/or secondary
inspection at a POE: name, date of birth, nationality, etc. CBP claims having the advance information
reduces processing times and increases capacity.
In addition to collecting information that users submit, the app accesses users’ phones’ global positioning
system (GPS) location because individuals are required to be in CBP-defined proximity to the U.S. border
(i.e., central or northern Mexico) when they submit their information via CBP One.
CBP One, Photographs, and Facial Recognition Technology
CBP One requires that users submit a photograph of the individual whose information is captured in the app. The app uses
the photograph to determine liveness (a.k.a. “genuine presence confirmation”); this ensures that the photograph is of a real
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person and not a picture of a person. This may act as an antifraud security measure. The photographs submitted via CBP
One are stored in a gallery in CBP’s Traveler Verification Service (TVS).
While CBP One users are required to submit a photograph, the app currently does not utilize Facial Recognition
Technology (FRT) for this function. (The app previously used FRT for the discontinued MPP function.) However, for all
foreign nationals arriving at POEs, including individuals who have registered for appointments via CBP One, CBP utilizes TVS
to biometrically verify travelers’ identities at POEs. (For more information, see CRS Report R47541, Immigration: The U.S.
Entry-Exit System.) TVS utilizes FRT to compare a traveler’s live photograph (e.g., taken by a border official or gate agent) to
a gallery of preexisting photographs maintained by CBP. TVS provides a match or no match result.
During Title 42
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention instituted a
public health policy (referred to as Title 42) that allowed immigration officials to restrict entry into the
United States of foreign nationals lacking “proper travel documents.” Certain vulnerable individuals were
exempt from this restriction. The CBP One app provided a means for these individuals to schedule
appointments with immigration officials. When using the CBP app to schedule appointments at POEs,
individuals needed to attest to a vulnerability qualifying them for Title 42 exemption.
Post-Title 42
On May 11, 2023, the federal COVID-19 public health emergency declaration ended. The Biden
Administration ended Title 42 immigration processing and shifted back to processing all individuals
under Title 8 of the U.S. Code. Post-Title 42, CBP One functionality for undocumented individuals
booking appointments is virtually unchanged from that under the Title 42 policy, with one exception—
individuals need not attest to a qualifying vulnerability to schedule appointments. Rather than arriving
unannounced at southwest border land POEs (as was often the case prior to the public health emergency
and Title 42), post-Title 42 individuals without visas or travel documents can schedule a time to arrive at a
POE.
Critiques of CBP One
Since the launch of the CBP One feature allowing undocumented individuals to book appointments via
the app, there have been numerous critiques of the app, and subsequent updates in response, including the
following:
• As a mobile application, CBP One requires applicants to use a smartphone to make appointments,
which some observers believe disadvantages certain vulnerable migrants. Even those with access
to smartphones may have varying access to cellular service and wireless internet. Those with
resources to stay in locations with better Wi-Fi and greater bandwidth than some migrant shelters
may more easily secure appointments. CBP is said to have “enhanced [the app’s] usability in low-
bandwidth scenarios” and addressed “error messages due to bandwidth issues with a third-party
software for liveness.”
• Some report issues with the app’s geolocation function. Individuals in Mexico, but physically
close to the U.S. border, could be rejected if the app’s location feature signals they are inside the
United States. CBP has adjusted the boundaries and improved the geolocation precision.
• Some have critiqued CBP One’s use of photographs, citing privacy concerns. Additionally,
darker-skinned applicants and some young children have reportedly experienced difficulties
having their photographs accepted by the system.
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• Following complaints that families could not secure appointments jointly, CBP has updated the
app to support family units, including allowing users to “create only one profile for all family
members to get appointments together.”
• The app was criticized for offering only English and Spanish language options. CBP has since
added Haitian Creole as an option.
• Some observers state there are insufficient appointments available and that the app frequently
crashes due to high demand. CBP recently expanded the “number of daily appointment
allotments” and time allowed to complete booking.
While CBP periodically updates the app to address criticisms, challenges remain. Immigration advocates
contend CBP One impedes asylum seekers with near mandatory usage, yet is not universally accessible;
however, CBP notes individuals may arrive at POEs for processing without using CBP One.
Author Information
Abigail F. Kolker
Kristin Finklea
Analyst in Immigration Policy
Specialist in Domestic Security
Disclaimer
This document was prepared by the Congressional Research Service (CRS). CRS serves as nonpartisan shared staff
to congressional committees and Members of Congress. It operates solely at the behest of and under the direction of
Congress. Information in a CRS Report should not be relied upon for purposes other than public understanding of
information that has been provided by CRS to Members of Congress in connection with CRS’s institutional role.
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