Biden Administration Suspends Migrant Entry Program Amid Fraud Concerns

The Biden administration has temporarily suspended a program that allowed certain migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela to legally enter the United States.

This decision was prompted by concerns about potential fraudulent practices by the financial sponsors involved in the program. The "humanitarian parole" program, launched in 2022 and expanded in 2023, permitted up to 30,000 migrants from these countries to lawfully enter the US each month, provided they could secure financial sponsorship from individuals in the United States. These sponsors were expected to financially support the migrants for up to two years.

However, the Department of Homeland Security has now halted the program's operations as it investigates the backgrounds of the US-based financial sponsors. Concerns have arisen regarding the misuse of the program's processes, with reports suggesting that some sponsors were seeking to support numerous migrants using fabricated or deceased individuals' Social Security numbers and false contact information. Duplicate applications from the same location have also been identified.

As a precautionary measure, the agency has temporarily suspended the issuance of advance travel authorizations for new program participants. This review aims to ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place before the program can resume processing. According to US Customs and Border Protection, more than 500,000 migrants had entered the country through this program by June 2023.

The decision to halt the program comes after the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), an organization advocating for stricter immigration policies, claimed that the program was "plagued by deception." The Department of Homeland Security had previously suspended the issuance of travel permits to Venezuelans under the policy in June, preceding the current suspension for the remaining three nations.