The Biden-Harris administration announced plans Saturday to expand areas where foreigners can make online appointments to apply for asylum upon entering Mexico. Associated Press report.
Customs and Border Protection’s CBP One application, introduced under the current administration as part of an effort to expand so-called legal pathways, allows foreigners to apply for an interview before arriving at the southern border. After turning themselves in to Border Patrol agents at designated ports of entry, they are typically released into the U.S. with little screening while they await a court hearing years down the line to assess the validity of their asylum claims.
“We promise free assistance to unrepresented people in the immigration process.”
Currently, foreign nationals who want to secure one of CBP’s 1,450 daily appointment slots must be in central or northern Mexico when they make an appointment. Now, the White House said, people who have migrated to parts of southern Mexico, including Chiapas and Tabasco, will also be able to apply for an appointment through the online app. The administration did not say when the change would take effect.
The extension came at a request from Mexico, according to the Associated Press.
“We remain in constant communication with our partners in the Mexican government and work together to adjust our policies and practices in response to the latest immigration trends and security needs,” CBP said in a statement.
According to the Associated Press, more than 680,000 foreigners made reservations through the app between January and June 2023.
Amid the overwhelming crisis, the Biden-Harris administration is calling on immigration lawyers to provide pro bono assistance to tackle the massive case backlog caused by the open border policy.
On Wednesday, the White House Fact Sheet “The Administration is calling on members of the legal community, including law firms, nonprofits, advocacy groups, and other stakeholders, to commit to providing pro bono assistance to unrepresented people in immigration proceedings. In response, the American Bar Association will leverage existing resources to support and encourage more lawyers to provide pro bono assistance to unrepresented aliens in immigration proceedings,” it said.
In the post XThe ABA wrote that it “remains concerned about the growing case backlog in immigration courts, particularly due to a lack of legal representation,” and encouraged lawyers to offer their services.
Syracuse University’s Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse is currently 3.7 million Pending immigration litigation.
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