Los Angeles: Immigration advocates have filed a lawsuit against the US government, arguing that the use of an app to condition asylum requests is a violation of migrants' human rights. The legal action, filed in federal court, targets the CBP One app, which the advocates claim hinders many individuals from seeking asylum in the United States.

The lawsuit was jointly filed by immigration organizations Al Otro Lado and the Haitian Bridge Alliance, along with ten migrants who assert that the CBP One application blocked their attempts to seek asylum. The app was introduced by the Biden administration in January as part of the winding down of immigration rules implemented during the Covid-19 pandemic. It requires migrants to schedule an appointment at a US port of entry through the app.

However, critics of the app, including migrants and activists, have raised concerns about its accessibility. The lawsuit points out that accessing the app requires a smartphone, internet access, and electricity, which can be difficult for migrants on long and perilous journeys fleeing their home countries. It further highlights that the app's facial recognition technology has reportedly discriminated against Black and darker-skinned immigrants, hindering their ability to secure an appointment.

According to the legal brief, the use of CBP One effectively creates an electronic waitlist that limits access to the US asylum process to a privileged few, thereby putting other migrants in greater danger as they are forced to turn back at the border without an appointment.

Melissa Crow, litigation director for the Center for Gender and Refugee Studies, which is representing the plaintiffs in the lawsuit, criticized the Biden administration's new turnback policy, stating that it is part of a broader effort to block access to asylum at the southern border. She further claimed that the app-based turnback policy not only violates US laws but also undermines the integrity of the asylum system, leaving the most vulnerable refugees behind.

This lawsuit is the latest in a series of legal challenges to the Biden administration's immigration policies, which have focused on establishing legal migration programs and alternatives to curb illegal crossings. Last month, the US Supreme Court upheld the federal government's authority to decide which undocumented migrants should be targeted for deportation after challenges from Texas and Louisiana.