The Trump administration is ending a “horrendous” program that allowed illegal migrants to fly without identification — in what has been hailed as a “critical step” in putting Americans first.
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) announced Monday it would no longer allow migrants to use the CBP One app to board domestic flights without formal identification.
The free app, which was launched near the end of President Trump’s first term as a single portal to access a variety of Customs and Border Patrol services, was controversially expanded under former President Joe Biden to allow migrants to easily schedule asylum appointments at a port of entry along the border.
The Trump administration removed the contentious scheduling functionality on day one of his second term but the app was still being used as alternate identification.
“TSA has discontinued the use of the CBP One app,” the agency announced late Monday.
“Illegal aliens who previously had their identity established using CBP One will only be permitted into the checkpoint if TSA can determine the purpose of travel is for deportation or movement between detention facilities,” it added.
The move came after Homeland Security officials raised concerns about the proper vetting of the thousands of migrants that poured over the southern border under Biden.
In many cases, Border Patrol sources said overwhelmed agents were taking migrants at their word when it came to identification, before releasing them into the US.
A scathing Homeland Security inspector general report also sounded the alarm on “high-risk” migrants being allowed to cross the border illegally without an ID — and then being able to freely travel around the US.
“TSA’s vetting and screening procedures do not eliminate the risk that noncitizens who may pose a threat to fellow passengers could board domestic flights,” the report said.
“Under current processes, [Customs and Border Protection] and [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] cannot ensure they are keeping high-risk noncitizens without identification from entering the country.”
A TSA source told The Post that Americans felt unsettled by the lack of formal identification.
Sonya LaBosco, director of the Air Marshal National Council, said her organization is “extremely grateful this horrendous program has finally come to an end.”
It was a “serious security risk,” she told The Post.
“This is a critical step toward restoring the integrity of our aviation security system and prioritizing the safety of the American people,” LaBosco added.
While the CBP One app precedes Biden’s presidency, airports experienced a massive surge of migrants flying domestically as millions of border crossers poured into the country.
In the first ten months of the Biden admin, TSA used CBP One 60,000 times to allow migrants to fly, using their paperwork following their release from the border, which included immigration court dates and ICE arrest warrants to verify their identities, according to a previous Congressional inquiry.
