CBP One is a free mobile app launched by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) on October 28, 2020. It serves as a single portal that provides users with a variety of CBP services, directing them to the corresponding services based on their needs through a series of guided questions.

The main features of the app include advance submission of information and appointment scheduling. Non-U.S. citizens who want to travel to the United States can use the CBP One app to submit personal information in advance and schedule interviews at specific ports of entry on the southwest border. These ports include Nogales, Arizona, Brownsville, Eagle Pass, Hidalgo, Laredo and El Paso, Texas, and Calexico and San Ysidro, California.

Since its launch, CBP One's functionality has continued to expand. Starting in May 2023, it became the only way for asylum seekers arriving at ports of entry on the U.S.-Mexico border to schedule interviews and maintain asylum eligibility, and it is also the only way for citizens of countries such as Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela to submit biometric information to obtain travel authorization parole through special programs.

However, CBP One has also sparked a lot of controversy. On the one hand, its technical problems have been criticized. For example, the appointment function launched in January 2023 has a large number of technical failures, affecting the user experience. On the other hand, the privacy issues of the application have also attracted attention. For example, it can locate users through the GPS function of the mobile phone and requires users to upload photos. These functions are considered by some people to be possible violations of user privacy. In addition, for some poor immigrants who do not have mobile phones or old mobile devices and cannot use the Internet or electricity, it is difficult to use the application. They may be deprived of the opportunity to apply because they cannot meet these conditions.

Although CBP One has many problems, it has indeed improved the accessibility and transparency of CBP services to a certain extent, and helped to manage immigration and border security affairs more efficiently. At the same time, CBP is also constantly working to improve and perfect the application to better meet user needs and resolve related disputes.