Earlier this month, on March 21, Representatives U.S. Representatives Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.), Jesús “Chuy” García (D-Ill.), and Joaquin Castro (D-Texas), and 27 other House representatives called on the Department of Homeland Security to address serious concerns regarding the CBP One app, the primary mechanism used by U.S. Customs and Border Protection in managing asylum interview requests.

By Leila Lorenzo, Laura Wagner, Ariel Koren, Juan Camilo Mendez

Since its launch in October 2020, U.S. Customs and Border Protection has required asylum seekers at the southern border to use the agency’s CBP One mobile app to schedule their appointments to enter the country.

Respond Crisis Translation’s Arabic Team worked tirelessly in 2023, supporting hundreds of individuals seeking asylum and refuge, partnering with organizations on dozens of projects, as well as raising awareness around key language justice issues, throughout 2023.

The team undertook a remarkable 156 projects over the past year. Out of these, 144 cases have been successfully completed, providing crucial support and assistance to those in need. Notably, 61 cases within this portfolio are asylum-related cases.

In 2023, Respond Crisis Translation’s Portuguese Team worked on 62 cases, translated over 56,000 words, and interpreted for 61 hours. This work mostly concerned the translation of legal immigration documents.

The team also participated in a fascinating project with our partner Ashoka!

Respond Crisis Translation’s Haitian Creole (Krèyol) Team completed hundreds of projects in 2023 – of these, 60 were asylum and/or immigration cases. We also helped mental health professionals provide psychosocial support, worked on several projects related to climate change and environmental justice, and helped recent immigrants access social services and obtain work permits.