Online system to seek asylum in US is quickly overwhelmed

A migrant from Michoacan, Mexico, uses the CBPOne app on Jan 24, 2023, in Tijuana, Mexico. A mobile app for migrants to seek asylum in the United States has been oversaturated since it was introduced this month in one of several major changes to the government's response to unprecedented migration flows. Hoping to get lucky when a new appointments are made available daily, migrants are increasingly frustrated by a variety of error messages. — AP

TIJUANA, Mexico: Hours before sunrise, migrants at one of Mexico’s largest shelters wake up and go online, hoping to secure an appointment to try to seek asylum in the US. The daily ritual resembles a race for concert tickets when online sales begin for a major act, as about 100 people glide their thumbs over phone screens.

New appointments are available each day at 6am, but migrants find themselves stymied by error messages from the US government's CBPOne mobile app that’s been overloaded since the Biden administration introduced it Jan 12.