Biden admin won’t extend parole for 500,000+ migrants in US via controversial flight program

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The Biden administration will not extend the legal status of hundreds of thousands of migrants who came to the U.S. through a controversial Biden-era travel program that was temporarily halted due to discoveries of fraud in the program earlier this year, officials said on Friday.

CBS News first reported that officials had decided not to extend parole for Venezuelan nationals who came into the U.S. via the parole processes for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans (CHNV.) However, in a statement on Friday, DHS confirmed that it will not be extending parole for any of the four nationalities. Instead, they will have to seek another immigration status or leave the U.S.

"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," a DHS spokesperson told Fox News Digital. 

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"Those who do not have pending immigration benefits or who have not been granted an immigration benefit during their two-year parole period will need to depart the United States prior to the expiration of their authorized parole period or may be placed in removal proceedings after the period of parole expires," they said.

The program was first implemented for Venezuelans in October 2022 and extended to the other nationalities in January 2023. It allows migrants to use the CBP One app to enter the U.S. on temporary parole for two years and receive a work permit if they pass background checks and have a sponsor. It was part of the administration's expansion of "lawful pathways" to tackle the border crisis.

U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas speaks at the daily press briefing at the White House on July 15, 2024, in Washington, D.C.  (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

Through the end of August 2024, nearly 530,000 Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans arrived lawfully on commercial flights and were granted parole under these processes. The program has received furious opposition from Republicans, some of whom have described the administration as running migrant flights, but under this program, migrants must organize their own travel. Republicans said the program was an abuse of parole, which is limited to a case-by-case basis for urgent humanitarian reasons or significant public benefit.

However, the program was paused briefly in August when an internal report unearthed large amounts of fraud in applications of those sponsoring the program. It later unfroze the program after installing what it said were additional vetting and protections against fraud.

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It was expected that the administration would extend the parole status, as it has done with other parole populations. The administration says it will continue to accept applications for the program. Migrants from Haiti and Venezuela will be able to apply for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) if they arrived before either June for Haitians or before July 2023 for Venezuelans. 

The move will likely infuriate immigration activists, who have cried foul as the administration has moved away from more liberal policies as the election approaches. The administration threw its weight behind a bipartisan border security bill this year that would have allowed for a limit to be placed on asylum entries and given additional funding to border agencies. 

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Border Patrol picks up a group of asylum seekers from an aid camp at the US-Mexico border near Sasabe, Arizona, on Wednesday, March 13, 2024. (Justin Hamel/Getty Images)

When that bill failed to pass, President Biden signed an order limiting asylum entries in June, which was followed by a sharp drop in arrivals at the border by more than 50%, leading to numbers lower than anything during the current administration. 

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The administration has also touted an increase in removals. Biden followed that up with a "parole in place" scheme for illegal immigrant spouses of U.S. citizens. But in the last week, he announced new measures to prevent that limit on arrivals at the border from being lifted.

It comes as Vice President Harris battles with former President Donald Trump over who is the tougher candidate on border security. Harris has accused Trump of failing to back the border security bill for political reasons, while Trump has accused Harris of being responsible for the crisis at the border.

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Polling shows it to be a top 2024 issue for voters, with many polls showing Trump holding a significant lead over Harris on the topic.