Migrants Scammed by CBP One Application: Scams of up to $20,000. “They are an easy target.” The lack of accessibility in the CBP One application in the United States has brought great concern due to the hundreds of affected people. It is worth mentioning that the long wait times and desperation faced by migrants in Mexico have led to an alarming proliferation of scams. In fact, these scams by CBP One can cost them up to $20,000, according to an investigation carried out by HIAS.
HIAS Mexico, an international Jewish organization, has identified that migrants seeking an appointment through the CBP One application have been affected. They are forced to turn to services that range in cost from $5,000 to $20,000, and in most cases, these transactions result in fake appointments. In response, HIAS President Mark Hetfield emphasized the importance of not using the CBP application as a justification to restrict the right to asylum.
The CBP One application has been in operation since 2021 as part of the immigration policies of US President Joe Biden. Starting from January of last year, appointments were made available for individuals of any nationality to obtain a hearing and, if applicable, refugee status.
Regarding this, HIAS Mexico has identified that the process to obtain an appointment is extremely cumbersome, and on average, a person can take up to two months. “As long as they keep their official record without constantly deleting it,” as indicated by the study. Rocio Melendez, legal manager for HIAS Mexico, expressed concern about the lack of accessibility of the CBP One application for many people, especially those who are illiterate, visually impaired, or speak a language other than Spanish, English, or Haitian Creole.
Furthermore, Melendez lamented that the majority of migrants do not have the capacity to afford safe accommodation, food, or services during the long wait for an appointment. “They are an easy target for both common crime and organized crime, and they are constantly at risk of being detained in operations by the National Institute of Migration,” she said. “Since the Mexican government does not issue them any immigration documents endorsing their stay during their wait,” added Rocio Melendez. She also pointed out that the application is designed to operate only in certain parts of Mexico, which has caused people to resort to dangerous routes to travel to the border.
Social media influence
HIAS Mexico identified that scams occur in digital environments such as Facebook, TikTok, and Telegram, according to the Agency Efe. Misinformation about the CBP One application is mainly spread, as these have proliferated on the internet since this tool was enabled. “HIAS Mexico has found that, for the most part, these spaces generate misinformation, false rumors, and are used to scam people,” the report stated.
Mexico has become a country of origin, transit, destination, and return for migrants, and an example of this is the 441,409 migrant detention events in 2022 alone.
What is CBP One?
CBP One has become “the only mechanism to access the asylum process of the United States at a (port of entry) on the southern border”… argued the lawyers from Al Otro Lado and Haitian Bridge Alliance in a written statement before Friday’s hearing in San Diego. Returning people without a prior appointment violates the agency’s policy and leaves them “stranded in dangerous Mexican border cities, vulnerable to kidnappings, assaults, rapes, and murders,” they said. The application has been criticized by the right for being too lenient and by the left for being too restrictive, according to The Associated Press.
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