Internet rips Biden admin's parole program as experts say 400K migrants allowed in US might stay for long

WASHINGTON, DC: Several experts contend that the approximately 400,000 migrants who were granted entry to the United States under the Cuban, Haitian, Nicaraguan, and Venezuelan [CHVN] parole program by the Biden administration will most likely remain in the country for an indefinite period.

Initially launched in October 2022 for Venezuelans, the program was later expanded in November 2023 to allow 30,000 migrants per month to enter the US for a maximum of two years "for urgent humanitarian reasons or significant public benefit."

By the end of February, Department of Homeland Security data revealed that 400,000 migrants had taken advantage of the program, according to the New York Post.

Experts claim migrants are unlikely to leave US after their parole period

Immigration experts believe the massive surge of migrants, comparable to 1,000 individuals per day, will not return to their homes after the expiration of the two-year parole period.

Donald Trump’s former Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Director Tom Homan told the aforementioned outlet, “They’re overwhelming the system [which] more than likely will result in these people staying here forever.”

Parolees have three choices: firstly, the DHS can prolong their parole period; secondly, they can retain the services of an attorney to establish legal residency; and lastly, they may choose to overstay in the US illegally.

According to Homan, the Biden administration is less likely to pursue parolees who overstay their two-year visas.

“ICE is not looking for noncriminal fugitives, they’re not,” Homan argued.

Yet, Homan claims that if Trump were to win another term, immigrants who stayed in the country for an extended period of time would be far more likely to be "a target for removal."

John Fabbricatore, the former director of the ICE field office, affirmed that many parolees on the program will probably overstay and "be added to the non-detained ICE docket," which means they will be listed but not actively pursued if the Biden administration chooses not to remove them.

Fabbricatore stated that the docket now contains approximately "seven million cases ICE is already monitoring."

The parole process is intended for individuals with "urgent humanitarian reasons," but Fabbricatore suspects it is being exploited wrongly as "an immigration status."

Clay Thomas, a retired deputy patrol agent who oversees the El Paso station, added that he anticipates parole terms will be automatically extended because it's the simplest course of action.

“They’re not gonna have people tracking them down so they’re just gonna do a blanket extension on that two years because that’s just the click of a button,” Thomas claimed, adding it will be “nearly impossible” to find tens of thousands of people given “the volume [of people] and the lack of tracking on” migrants.

Migrants who are on parole have various legal options to extend their stay in the United States legitimately.

For instance, Cubans can apply for permanent residency (commonly known as a green card) after one year in the US, thanks to the Cuban Adjustment Act.

According to Maria Herrera Mellado, an immigration attorney based in Miami, all parolees arriving through the program can apply for visas and asylum, and some may qualify for Temporary Protected Status (TPS), which provides temporary protection from removal based on issues in their home countries.

Mellado stated that most Venezuelan, Haitian, and Nicaraguan parolees often apply for asylum while in the US, having initially arrived in the country under the program.

The House Homeland Security Committee recently issued a subpoena to the DHS to disclose data on the CHVN program, revealing that most migrants paroled into the US are landing in Florida.

The data shows that approximately 80% of the parolees who arrived between January and August 2023 went to Miami, Ft Lauderdale, Orlando, and Tampa Bay.

Mellado mentioned that her Cuban and Venezuelan clients flying into Miami through the parole program are staying in the area to reunite with their families. “This is their final destination,” she added.

However, there is still a long queue of migrants hoping to be accepted into the program, with 1.6 million applications awaiting approval, according to the DHS.

Internet slams Biden administration for being lax on migrant influx into United States

One X user claimed, "Revoke the work visas. Cut off the free stuff. Immediately deport anyone committing a crime. Easy peasy."

Another user said, "Biden admin = treasonous."

Another user wrote, "The government cannot get the universities under control. Just add the border crisis to another mismanaged national security problem under the Biden administration."

One user remarked, "Good Lord this man is going to destroy this country."

Another X user added, "Impeach Biden!! Imagine if this happened under the last Administration?? MSM and Dems would be going ballistic!!!"

Finally, this user tweeted, "Well he is losing voters, so he has to import more."

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.