Washington Examiner by Anna Giaritelli 8/4/2023
The Mexican government is allowing any immigrant who enters the country from Guatemala to continue traveling to the United States border if they have obtained an appointment on the U.S. government's CBP One phone app, the Washington Examiner has learned.
The move would seem to be in the interest of the United States. However, Mexican cartels are exploiting the app's security and found a way to request unlimited appointments for anyone in the world — far beyond the app's "northern Mexico" geofence.
"It’s further evidence as this administration continues to try to come up with a new security paradigm along that border that I don't think they really understand it. They don't understand the lengths and depths the cartels will continue to go to," said Chad Wolf, former acting Department of Homeland Security secretary. "As the administration continues to put these 'legal pathways' into place, that's music to the cartel's ears."
An extensive investigation that included a review of unclassified, internal DHS documents and communications revealed that the Mexican government's National Immigration Institute earlier this summer ordered its immigration officials to turn away all non-Mexican citizens who do not have a CBP One app appointment, according to one of the documents. Officers set up checkpoints in the southern state of Chiapas and have conducted arrests at these encounters.
Cartels, though, have turned the app on its head and used Mexico's policy to its advantage by overpowering the app and are raking in profits from any immigrant who wishes to enter Mexico. Once immigrants show up at the Guatemala-Mexico or in Chiapas, the INM will let them proceed.
"Mexico will certainly let people through if they have an appointment, they're sort of counting that as a de facto transit visa," said Adam Isacson, director of defense oversight for the liberal immigrant advocacy organization the Washington Office for Latin America. "It's sabotage and they know very well that people can't normally get an appointment unless they're north of Mexico City."
Cartels have been selling immigrants a service that provides them with an internet connection through a virtual private network. Rather than use a regular internet service provider in the user's location, a VPN routes a device's internet connection through a private service so that the app cannot tell if the person is in northern Mexico.
Josh Trevino, chief of intelligence and research for the conservative Texas Public Policy Foundation think tank, said the operation has allowed the cartels to cash in, potentially with kickbacks to the Mexican government.
More:
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/immigration/mexican-cartels-exploit-cbp-one-app
