Illegal immigrants hop or fly across the border into the United States at record-breaking levels and seemingly without a proper vetting by using a smartphone app called CPB One. Of course, US Customs Border Protection (CBP) has assured the American public that asylum applicants are vetted, have a sponsor in the United States to provide financial support, and are up-to-date on vaccination requirements. Migrants who fulfill those initial requirements are released on their own recognizance after arrival for up to two years to roam about as they please.
“From January through September 5, 2023, DHS vetting resulted in only 698 rejections for unspecified ‘Ineligibility Reasons’ out of 225,000 invited to cross the border,” announced the Center for Immigration Studies after filing several Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests with Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
The latest numbers are disturbing:
- Of the 71,000 Haitians coming through the ports during the past year, DHS rejected a mere 156 as ineligible.
- Only 254 of the 68,000 Venezuelans were rejected.
- Of the 32,000 Nicaraguans, just 103 found the path blocked.
- Of the 45,000 Cuban, DHS personnel rejected 185.
The appointment-and-release system has allowed 40,000 immigrants per month a pathway into the United States since its launch Oct. 28, 2020. You might think that with a 99.7 % acceptance rate, our nation would be importing the purest and most deserving people on earth.
“What we are really trying to do here is incentivize migrants to use safe, lawful and orderly pathways. But also, you know there has to be a consequence at the border for individuals who continue to cross irregularly despite having these options available to them,” Blas Nuñez-Neto, a top immigration official at DHS, stated in an interview with NPR’s Morning Edition in May.
Reinventing Migrants
On border issues, the Biden administration’s message is a chorus of radical left voices in the media and government singing that the border is safe and secure, illegal numbers are down — and “we’ve saved humanity.”
(Photo by John Moore/Getty Images)
But that isn’t reality: It’s obvious spin at even a glance. Which is what several states and members of Congress are in the process of doing.
“When you report that illegal migrants, the numbers are down — that’s a shell game. It’s like a magic trick,” Rep. Clay Higgins (R-LA) said in a June hearing on the Hill. A vocal proponent of closer border oversight, he also opined, “This executive branch has redefined what an illegal entry is.”
However, even with seemingly wide-open borders, not all migration proponents are happy about the use of the app. As you may have guessed, Amnesty International is one such peeved organization.
“The mandatory use of CBP One conditions entry and access to asylum on appearing at a port of entry with a prior appointment, which is only feasible for some people,” said Erika Guevara-Rosas, Americas director at Amnesty International.
“The way in which the CBP One application works is deeply problematic. Asylum seekers are forced to install the application on their mobile devices, which enables US Customs and Border Protection to collect data about their location by ‘pinging’ their phones. The US must ensure that asylum seekers have due process rights regarding refugee status determination procedures and that they are not returned to places where they may be at risk of harm.”
Ain’t Nobody Happy
For opponents and proponents of easy immigration, border security enforcement will likely remain an emotionally driven debate. The Biden administration will spend hours of press time assuring people everything is under control. Critics will constantly rile the masses and focus on the crisis. The American people will continue to suffer until the federal government starts to enforce the law.
