Biden admin faces mounting pressure to dismantle migrant parole program amid 'stress' on small towns
Republicans are demanding a controversial parole program be scrapped as more towns face pressures from an influx of migrants into their communities.
FIRST ON FOX: Pressure is growing on the Biden administration to shut down its migrant travel program for four nationalities, as Republicans say migrants from those countries have caused "stress and burdens" on communities throughout the U.S.
Twenty-seven lawmakers, led by Reps. Guy Reschenthaler, R-Pa., and Chip Roy, R-Texas, have written to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas calling for the end to what they say is an "unlawful" parole process for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans (CHNV).
The program allows up to 30,000 nationals each month to enter the U.S. via humanitarian parole from those four countries after receiving advance travel authorization. More than half a million nationals have entered as part of the program, which is part of the effort to expand "lawful pathways" by the administration.
However, the lawmakers note communities across the U.S. that have reported intense strain due to an influx of migrants from those countries, particularly Haiti.
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"While the United States faces an unprecedented crisis, created by the Biden-Harris Administration, at our southern border, nearly 530,000 inadmissible aliens have entered the U.S. through the CHNV program since January 2023 alone. This decision has placed significant financial stress and burdens on communities across the United States, including Charleroi, Pennsylvania; Springfield, Ohio; and Logansport, Indiana," they write.
Fox spoke to residents in Charleroi, some of whom say they have seen significant pressure due to Haitian migration, including on schools and other services. In Logansport, residents have said they have been "overrun" as the population has grown by 20-30% since 2021, mostly from Haitians.
Meanwhile, the Biden administration has extended Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitians and Venezuelans in the U.S., meaning many arrivals are protected from deportation and can receive work permits.
The lawmakers say that, according to 25 governors, the administration has "failed to communicate arrival times, duration of residency, legal status, and locations of CHNV parolees while also creating ‘considerable confusion and alarm among local officials and the general public.’"
They also note that the Biden administration paused issuing authorizations briefly after fraud was found among sponsor applications in the program. Recently, the Biden administration said it would not be renewing paroles for arrivals but would still be accepting new applications.
"We call on the administration to end the unlawful, fraud-filled CHNV program and curtail TPS and other immigration relief provided to aliens paroled through CHNV. Without doing so, the Biden-Harris Administration’s immigration policies will continue to place significant burdens on communities across our nation," they say.
The DHS said it "responds to congressional correspondence directly via official channels, and the Department will continue to respond to congressional oversight."
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Meanwhile, officials have stressed that CHNV processes are a "safe and orderly way" to reach the U.S. and have been linked to a 99% drop in encounters between ports of entry at the border from those nationalities.
They have stressed that migrants are responsible for their own travel and that DHS does not select their final destination, although they are vetted by multiple databases and not allowed in if they do not pass that process.
The agency says it is "working with communities on their unique situations, and developing new efficiencies that speed up the work authorization process and providing on-the-ground immigration services to migrants who are eligible to apply for a work permit but have not yet done so."
Officials have also noted that more than $650 million has been allocated to support communities receiving migrants throughout the U.S. by DHS.
The letter comes as migration and related border security has become a top issue in the election. Former President Donald Trump has promised to shut down parole programs if allowed into office. This week, Rep. Jim Banks, R-Ind., introduced legislation that would limit the number of parolees to 1,000 a year and curtail the use of TPS.
Vice President Kamala Harris has pledged to sign a border security bill if elected while also renewing her calls for a more sweeping piece of legislation that includes a pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants -- including TPS recipients.
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