Biden and the Border: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver

With the expiration of Title 42 on May 11, 2023,  we thought it apt to share the Last Week Tonight with John Oliver April 30, 2023 episode “Biden and the Border” which examines President Biden’s failure to deliver on a key campaign promise to asylum seekers allowing them back on US soil to file for asylum.  The British-American comedian, political commentator, and television host, appropriately notes “we’re just entering a different phase of an immigration dystopia, particularly for asylum seekers.” Mr. Oliver shines a light on the administration’s “bad policy and s*itty apps”, namely the “CBP One” app which  is supposed to enable “noncitizens without appropriate documents for admission who seek to travel to the United States through certain southwest border land ports of entry (POEs) the ability to submit information through a module within the application instead of coming directly to wait at a POE.” The app has faced much criticism from various fronts including Amnesty International who warn, “it has become the only means for asylum seekers from certain countries to seek asylum. There have been numerous reports of people waiting for long periods of time for CBP One appointments. This situation is only expected to worsen once Title 42 is terminated and the use of CBP One becomes mandatory for all asylum seekers.” At the Southwest border, there are an estimated 100,000 people attempting to register for the approximately 700-800  slots available each day. The shortage of appointments on the CBP One app has led to a lottery system, nicknamed "asylum Ticketmaster" in recognition of  just "how s*itty of a company Ticketmaster is” according to Mr. Oliver. In light of the complaints, CBP is expected to issue a new version of the app to improve its functionality and appointment availability.