CBP One app lacks vetting capabilities for illegal aliens applying for asylum, internal report finds

A recent report from the Department of Homeland Security's Office of Inspector General found that Customs and Border Protection's CBP One application lacks some capabilities to help vet illegal aliens applying for asylum.

The app was created to streamline the asylum-claim process so that Border Patrol agents spend less time processing illegal aliens at the border. Between January 12, 2023, and August 18, 2023, the app has been used to process more than 260,000 foreign nationals.

'It does not leverage the information to identify suspicious trends.'

The internal report claimed that the Biden-Harris administration's CBP failed to assess the "risks" of the application and provided three recommendations aimed at improving vetting procedures. The agency concurred with all three recommendations.

The inspector general concluded that the agency "did not initially consider critical factors such as the design" of the app, the functionality of its language translations, and "equity of appointment distribution." As such, users often experience application crashes, error messages, and language barriers.

"Additionally, CBP may be missing an opportunity to use CBP One™ advance information to improve pre-arrival vetting procedures. Although CBP uses biographic and biometric information submitted to CBP One™ to determine whether arriving noncitizens have derogatory records, it does not leverage the information to identify suspicious trends as part of its pre-arrival vetting procedures," the report read.

The inspector general stated that it identified instances in which unrelated illegal aliens repeatedly used the same United States-based address as their intended future residence after arriving in the country. It noted that CBP currently lacks the ability to automatically analyze data submitted at all ports of entry to view suspicious trends. Illegal immigrants who apply through the app can make an appointment at one of eight ports of entry to continue their asylum application.

The report also noted some security vulnerabilities with the application that could potentially leave users' information vulnerable to cyber-attacks.

Earlier this month, the Biden-Harris administration announced that it would loosen requirements for applicants to use the CBP One app. Currently, foreign nationals seeking to schedule an appointment through the app have to be in central or northern Mexico. However, the latest expansion will allow individuals to request an appointment from some parts of southern Mexico.

The House Committee on Homeland Security previously found "shocking abuse" of the application, claiming that "95.8 percent of all inadmissible aliens who scheduled appointments through the app" were released into the U.S.

Neither CBP nor the White House responded to Fox News Digital's request for comment.

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!