Council Sues CBP To Obtain Records About CBP One

This Freedom of Information Act lawsuit seeks to compel U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to release information about its implementation of CBP One, an app designed to streamline interactions between CBP officers and travelers, including asylum seekers, that has raised concerns amongst advocates.

According to the agency, the CBP One has three main uses: merchants can make appointments for cargo inspection, foreign travelers can apply for an arrival and departure record, otherwise known as an I-94, and organizations in Mexico can verify whether individuals are enrolled in the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP).

However, other available documents suggest that CBP has other functions. Further, to access some of the available functions, CBP One uses facial-recognition and GPS location technologies. These technologies are concerning because they can potentially be used to monitor and track immigrants in the country.

While CBP has published some information about the app, these publicly available documents are scattered, and the extent to which the agency plans to use the app in the future remain unclear.

Obtaining the information requested in this lawsuit is crucial to understand the app’s uses, the agency’s plans for future functions, and CBP’s plans for the data it collects through the app. CBP has failed to provide clear and concise information to the public about the app’s functions, like facial recognition and GPS location tracking.

This lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.