US Will Not Extend Legal Status of Migrants Who Entered via Parole Program

The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement building in Washington on March 25, 2024. Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times

The Biden administration will not extend the legal status of migrants who entered the United States through a humanitarian parole program, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said on Friday.

The administration launched the two-year parole program in 2022 for Venezuelans, aiming to reduce illegal crossings at the border. It was later expanded to include migrants from Cuba, Haiti, and Nicaragua.

The CHNV program allows up to 30,000 migrants from the four countries into the United States each month, provided they meet certain conditions, including having a U.S. sponsor who will provide them with financial support.

The DHS said that migrants who arrived in the United States under the program will need to obtain legal status through other immigration programs to remain in the country before their two-year parole period expires.

Migrants who have not obtained legal status will need to leave the country before their parole period ends or risk being placed in “removal proceedings,” DHS spokesperson Naree Ketudat said.

“This two-year period was intended to enable individuals to seek humanitarian relief or other immigration benefits for which they may be eligible, and to work and contribute to the United States,” Ketudat stated.

The program will continue to accept new applications. Nearly 530,000 migrants from the four countries have arrived in the United States on commercial flights through the program as of August, according to data released by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

Haitians made up the largest group of migrants entering the country, with more than 210,000 granted parole under the program, followed by Venezuelans with about 117,000, the data showed.

The Republican House Committee on Homeland Security said the move may only result in a small removal of migrants as there are “numerous other ways” for them to stay after their parole period ends.

“They will likely apply for asylum, Temporary Protected Status, or, given ICE’s [the Immigration and Customs Enforcement] low enforcement rates under this administration, simply not be priorities for removal,” the committee stated on X.

The committee cited a recent report from the DHS Office of Inspector General, which found that the agency “does not have a process for monitoring parole expiration” of about 77,000 Afghan parolees in the United States.

“It is hard to believe this administration has a plan to remove far greater numbers of inadmissible aliens paroled into the country through the unlawful, and fraud-ridden, CHNV program,” the committee stated.

The DHS stated on its website that there is no re-parole process under the CHNV program and that the parole period automatically end two years after entry into the United States.

Fraud in Application Processes

In August, DHS officials paused the program after an internal report found the use of fraudulent information in thousands of application forms filed by sponsors. The program resumed weeks later with increased vetting procedures.

An internal review uncovered sponsors using fake Social Security numbers, Social Security numbers of dead people, and false phone numbers.

In a change, the DHS said that sponsors will now be required to submit fingerprints as part of the effort to root out illegitimate supporters. It will also focus on pinpointing people who sponsor numerous applicants.

“Together with our existing rigorous vetting of potential beneficiaries seeking to travel to the United States, these new procedures for supporters have strengthened the integrity of these processes and will help protect against exploitation of beneficiaries,” a DHS spokesperson told The Epoch Times in an email.

Rep. Mark Green (R-Tenn.), chairman of the House of Representatives Homeland Security Committee, said in a statement on Aug. 29 that the administration should not be rushing to restart the program in light of the fraud findings.

“Instead of scrapping the clearly flawed program, the department is allowing it to continue without rooting out the fraud or putting adequate safeguards in place to prevent exploitation by sponsors here in the United States,” he stated.

Zachary Stieber and the Associated Press contributed to this report.