If it’s Friday, then it stands to reason that there’s going to be a Friday news dump. And the Biden administration didn’t disappoint with its quiet announcement in the work week’s waning hours, stating that it will end plans to provide a path to citizenship for the over 500,000 illegal aliens from four nations that it flew into the United States. Readers might remember the temporary pause in the program in August, after major fraudulent activities were exposed in the program’s management, in part thanks to Elon Musk’s bringing attention to the Daily Mail’s story back in the spring.
As my colleague Mike Miller reported, unsurprisingly, Team Biden got the train back on the tracks and rolling in no time:
In a quintessential case in point, the Biden-Harris Department of Homeland Security’s citizenship agency has put out an urgent call for volunteers to help process applications to restart a fraud-filled program that allows unauthorized illegal aliens (by existing U.S immigration law definition) from some Latin American nations — including Cuba — to skip the border farce and fly directly into the United States.
What could possibly go wrong?
The program that shuttled more than a half-million illegals — who lack legal visas — into the U.S. was abruptly halted several weeks ago after an internal review found massive fraud. I know; try to control your shock and amazement. Now, without explanation, Citizen and Immigration Services is looking for a quick restart.
Read More:
Biden-Harris DHS Restarts Fraud-Plagued ‘Parole’ Program That Directly Flies Illegal Aliens to US
Friday evening, CBS News broke the story about the administration’s latest stealth move with the program, which the DHS began in October 2022 for just Venezuelans. In January 2023, that grew to include emigrants from three other countries: Cuba, Haiti, and Nicaragua:
The Biden administration will not be extending the legal status of hundreds of thousands of migrants who were allowed to fly to the U.S. under a sponsorship program designed to reduce illegal border crossings, the Department of Homeland Security announced Friday.
Instead, migrants who have come to the U.S. under the policy will be directed to try to obtain legal status through other immigration programs, leave the country or face deportation proceedings.
…
As of the end of August, 530,000 migrants from these four countries had flown into the U.S. under the policy, known as the CHNV program, government figures show. They were granted permission to live and work in the U.S. legally for two years under an immigration law known as parole, which presidents can use to welcome foreigners on humanitarian or public interest grounds.
…
But the Department of Homeland Security decided against offering migrants who arrived in the U.S. under the CHNV initiative parole extensions, or what the government calls “re-parole.” Instead, these immigrant parolees, as the government calls them, will be given notices instructing them to apply for another immigration benefit or leave the country.
“If you have not sought a lawful status or period of authorized stay, you will need to leave the United States before your authorized parole period expires, or you may be placed in removal proceedings after your period of parole expires,” the government said in a notice to parolees.
Fox News Digital shared this updated statement from a DHS spokesperson:
“As initially stated in the Federal Register notices, a grant of parole under these processes was for a temporary period of up to two years. 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.”
House Committee on Homeland Security Chairman Mark E. Green, MD (R-TN) has also responded to the Biden DHS’ hasty messaging on its new guidelines before the weekend, releasing a statement calling out the move as “optics-driven,” and casting doubt on the administration’s promises to oust the South American illegals based on previous actions:
“This move is yet another optics-driven smokescreen from the Biden-Harris administration. There are numerous other ways these inadmissible aliens could be—and likely will be—allowed to stay, including through applying for asylum or Temporary Protected Status. Even if they don’t, however, given ICE’s low enforcement rates under this administration, most simply will not be priorities for removal.
“Remember, a recent DHS Inspector General report found that the Biden-Harris administration still has no plan to remove the 77,000 Afghan nationals who were paroled in 2021 and 2022, and no effective process for monitoring parole expiration. So, it is hard to believe the Biden-Harris administration has a plan to remove a far greater number of inadmissible Cuban, Haitian, Nicaraguan, and Venezuelan nationals paroled into the country at their direction.” [emphsis added]
We’ll keep you posted on developments in this story.
