On 'day one,' Trump's DHS nominee Noem vows to abolish contentious migrant app.

Kristi Noem, Donald Trump's nominee for the Department of Homeland Security, announced to lawmakers that she plans to abolish the CBP One app and the associated migrant parole program, which has allowed approximately 1.5 million immigrants into the US.

If confirmed as secretary, Senator Noem assured Sen. Hawley that CBP One would be shut down on day one.

Noem was first asked by Hawley if the southern border was secure.

"President Donald J. Trump will secure our southern border in just three days," she said.

The CBP One app, created during the first Trump administration to schedule cargo inspections, was controversially expanded in 2023 to allow migrants to make an appointment at a port of entry to be allowed in. Initially, this was due to an exception from the Title 42 public health order. However, since May, the app has been used to parole migrants into the U.S. as part of the Biden administration's expansion of "lawful pathways."

Over 936,500 individuals had scheduled appointments for parole through the app by the end of December, according to Customs and Border Protection.

The parole process for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans (CHNV) allows up to 30,000 nationals per month to enter the U.S. after a vetting process. As of December 2022, about 531,000 nationals had been allowed in through the program. The program was first applied to Venezuelans in October 2022 and expanded to the other three nationalities in January 2023.

The Biden administration defended its policy of providing legal immigration pathways for certain groups as a way to reduce illegal immigration, but critics accused it of being a "concierge service" for mass migration.

On her first day in office, Noem stated that she would dismantle CBP One, but the agency would retain some information.

She clarified that there is data and information in there that they will preserve to ensure they know who is entering and already present in the country, and they need to go find it.

She indicated to CHNV, "our federal government directly flew individuals into the country from other countries without any background checks or identification."

Several programs need to be eliminated, and we must adhere to legal immigration laws, she stated.

Hawley inquired about ending "abuse" in the parole system.

We will revert to evaluating parole cases on a case-by-case basis and allocate more resources if you collaborate with us to optimize our legal immigration system. This includes increasing the number of judges and immigration courts to ensure that individuals are processed legally and not exploited like Joe Biden has done by allowing them to enter the country without consequences.

If confirmed, Noem will oversee DHS during a time when the agency is expected to launch a historic mass deportation operation targeting illegal immigrants within the U.S., while also attempting to expand border security at the southern and northern borders.

She will collaborate with "border czar" Tom Homan, who was appointed by Trump in November to lead the border security operation.