An official app designed for migrants crossing the U.S.-Mexico border has led to kidnappings and extortion by drug cartels, according to a report by Amnesty International. The CBP One app, intended to help asylum seekers schedule appointments with border officials, has inadvertently put thousands of vulnerable people at risk as they wait for months in Mexico. Humanitarian groups argue that the app violates international human rights and refugee law.
Amnesty International interviewed 365 asylum seekers, with one-in-ten reporting being kidnapped. Many felt targeted because they had appointments through the CBP One app. Cartels used the fear of missing these appointments to extort ransom payments. A Venezuelan woman seeking asylum in the U.S. shared her harrowing experience of waiting in Mexico: “We were kidnapped for three days and then released. We were blindfolded, and they beat us several times. We were taken off the buses several times and were forced to pay. We were sold tickets at double the price. So many things happened to us that make you want to cry. If we don’t get the appointment quickly, we’ll throw ourselves into the river.”
Pastor Albert Rivera of the Ágape Shelter highlighted the dangers migrants face, noting that certain border crossings are more dangerous yet more likely to have available appointments. He recounted an incident where a group was assaulted and kidnapped upon arriving in Reynosa. The captors demanded ransom to ensure the migrants wouldn’t miss their CBP One appointments. The families paid $41,500 in 2023 to secure their release. However, they lost their appointments and had to restart the process.
Migrants who wish to enter the U.S. legally must use the CBP One app to request an appointment at a land port of entry. However, many asylum seekers cannot afford cell phones, or their phones are stolen by gangs. Others face technical issues such as insufficient memory to support the app, inability to afford the data required, or lack of access to Wi-Fi.
Ari Sawyer, a U.S. border researcher at Human Rights Watch, criticized the Biden and López Obrador administrations for knowingly exposing migrants to persecution by cartels that target them for kidnapping, extortion, and sexual assault. Sawyer emphasized that the U.S. and Mexican governments should stop forcing migrants to wait in Mexico and cease collaborating on rights-abusive immigration policies.
Ana Piquer, Americas director at Amnesty International, argued that the CBP One app’s requirement for prior appointments at ports of entry conditions and limits the manner in which people seek international protection in the U.S. She acknowledged the potential benefits of technological innovations for safe transit and orderly border processes but insisted that such programs should not restrict access to asylum.