US resumes humanitarian parole for Venezuelans, Haitians, Cubans and Nicaraguans

The United States resumed a humanitarian parole program for Venezuelans, Haitians, Cubans, and Nicaraguans on Thursday. According to a statement from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), following an internal review in the wake of allegations of massive fraud that caused the program to be suspended in July, measures were adopted to strengthen its integrity and to be able to resume granting new travel permits to admitted migrants. The statement highlighted new checks on sponsors’ criminal records in the United States through measures such as taking fingerprints and checking financial statements, as well as measures to prevent them from submitting “serial” applications.

The program allows up to 360,000 migrants annually from eligible countries to receive asylum if they have a sponsor — a person who is legally living in the United States and who can provide them with financial assistance upon arrival. However, after 18 months in operation, the program was suspended indefinitely at the end of July due to suspicions of irregularities with the sponsors, which even raised alarms about possible human trafficking.

According to an internal report obtained by NBC News, the investigation confirmed that nearly 101,000 applications were submitted by 3,218 sponsors, though it did not indicate how many of these applicants actually entered the country. The internal investigation also found that thousands of applications used the same addresses and contact numbers, as well as the same Social Security numbers, including those of deceased individuals.

DHS officials warned that anyone who commits fraud or other abuses will be referred to the appropriate law enforcement agency for prosecution.

Authorities were reportedly eager to restart the program, saying it helps deter migrants from beneficiary countries from entering the United States illegally. Since it began in October 2022 for Venezuelans and was expanded in January 2023 to the other three countries, more than 2.6 million people have applied for the program, and more than 530,000 have been authorized to travel. DHS also reports that border encounters with migrants from these countries have dropped 98% since the program began. It is unclear how many of the more than 100,000 applications with irregularities were from individuals who have already entered the country or were rejected.

Humanitarian parole is only a temporary permit and does not grant permanent legal residency or provide a path to citizenship. It allows migrants with U.S. sponsors who pass biometric and biographical checks to receive work permits and a two-year authorization to live in the United States. The program also does not cover travel expenses, which migrants must pay for themselves.

Once the humanitarian purpose has been fulfilled, the person is expected to leave the United States. This permit is not the same as an asylum application, nor does it grant citizenship. When the humanitarian parole period expires, applicants can request to be granted parole again from within the country.

Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAÍS USA Edition