The Department of Homeland Security announced several changes to the appointment booking process through the CBP One application, which will go live starting this Monday, March 4th.
According to authorities, the goal is to “streamline the system and improve efficiency in managing appointments” for those attempting to enter U.S. territory.
The first change concerns the time window available to applicants for making an appointment. From now on, the system has the ability to schedule between 12:00 p.m. and 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time.
The new regulations also stipulate that all members of a group must have a common destination address in the United States in order to arrange an appointment together.
“Ensure your registration is accurate and includes everyone traveling together. All must go to the same U.S. address and have the same previous foreign address,” the statement warns.
They also make it clear that only one registration is possible. “To avoid duplicate errors, coordinate the deletion of unrelated records.”
To make an appointment in the application, you must be physically located in an area of central or northern Mexico (including Mexico City and Guadalajara). After receiving the notification, the person has 23 hours to accept and schedule their appointment.
Authorities took the opportunity to remind migrants that records and accounts identified as fraudulent will be deleted from the system, and also recommended that they not contact third parties to arrange an appointment.
“These people offer no advantage. Not to be confused with fraudulent confirmations. Officials confirm appointments through internal systems,” they said.
Thousands of Cubans are waiting in Mexico for their appointment. Last week Martí Noticias spoke to the young Marcos Aurelio Barrera, who has been living in this country for almost six months.
“I don't have the words to describe how it feels when it's 11 a.m. and you haven't gotten anything. You know it's just another day in Mexico and you realize you're not moving forward with your future,” he explained.
Appointments through the CBP One application are part of the programs the Joe Biden administration adopted last year to address the severe crisis at the southern border.
More than 400,000 people had benefited from CBP One's designations, Luis Miranda, deputy assistant secretary for communications at the Department of Homeland Security, confirmed to our newsroom last month.