October 4, 2023 
Contact: Paola Luisi, Pluisi@haitianbridge.org

San Diego, California – Haitian Bridge Alliance (HBA) brought a delegation of Haitian experts from California to Matamoros and Reynosa, Tamaulipas, Mexico, over Labor Day weekend (September 2-5, 2023). The delegation met with approximately 120 Haitian asylum seekers living in migrant shelters and informal encampments along the border to troubleshoot problems they confront when they try to schedule an appointment through the CBP One app.

Since May 11, 2023, asylum seekers must schedule an appointment with the CBP One app to present at a port of entry to seek asylum in the United States, or else face turnbacks from ports of entry and/or be banned from applying for asylum under the recent asylum ban policy (Circumvention of Lawful Pathways).

“HBA has been very concerned about widespread and continuous complaints by asylum seekers since January 2023 who have difficulty navigating or are locked out of the app, and must wait at the border for several months because they are unable to obtain a CBP One appointment,” said Nicole Phillips, Legal Director of Haitian Bridge Alliance. “We are thrilled to engage the expertise of the Haitian community in the United States to provide technical assistance to our brothers and sisters at the border so they can get appointments and lawfully seek asylum.”

The delegation is producing written and audio/visual materials to assist asylum seekers in troubleshooting the app. Stay tuned for more information about these materials.