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NOTEWORTHY
- Documents Reveal CBP’s Expansion of CBP One Functions
New agency documents about CBP One—a mobile phone application developed by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP)—show how CBP One developed from a tool to schedule cargo inspections to the main method by which people can access asylum. The documents, obtained through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request, also track how certain CBP One capabilities expanded, like the requirement that users submit a photograph to access certain features in the app.
The agency has failed to adequately inform users and the public about CBP One’s functions. The records produced by CBP so far suggest that certain functions of the app had been available long before CBP updated its website or the Privacy Impact Assessment, a dense government document about the app that provides the most information about the app’s capabilities and requirements.
CBP One’s rollout for processing individuals seeking asylum has been widely criticized. Among other issues, the app has difficulty capturing people’s photos, frequently rejecting photos of people with darker skin tones. Vulnerable populations also have had difficulties using the app because they lack access to Wi-Fi, have challenges scheduling appointments using the app, and because of the app’s consistent technical glitches. CBP has not produced documents demonstrating whether it considered these issues prior to expanding CBP One’s use.
Read more: Government Documents Reveal Information about the Development of the CBP One App
Check out our blog: CBP One Is Riddled With Flaws That Make the App Inaccessible to Many Asylum Seekers
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ICE Posts Its Bond Procedures Manual as a Result of FOIA Lawsuit
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) published the agency’s Bond Management Handbook, a manual that provides instruction to agency staff about bond payment procedures, in its electronic library as a result of a lawsuit filed by the Council and a number of bond funds from across the country. The Handbook is only one of the documents being pursued by the plaintiffs in the lawsuit. The lawsuit seeks to bring greater transparency to the bond payment process so that individuals in detention are able to secure their release as quickly as possible.
Plaintiffs argued that ICE has an obligation to post documents about how the public pays bonds to the agency on its website, particularly when the documents have previously been released in response to a Freedom of Information Act request and requested three or more times.
The litigation is ongoing as plaintiffs continue to seek clarity on whether the 2014 Handbook has been updated and seek public disclosure of other documents addressing bond payment procedures, such as local ICE office’s hours of operations, and documents about bond refunds, rejections, or cancellations.
Read more: Result of Bond Procedure Manual Lawsuit
The American Immigration Council works to hold the government accountable on immigration issues. We harness freedom of information requests, litigation, and advocacy to expose wrongdoing and promote transparency within immigration agencies.
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