U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) released its latest statistics Monday, showing nearly 530,000 migrants flew into the U.S. and were paroled into the country as part of the Biden administration’s controversial mass parole program for those migrating from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela (CHNV).
The August report includes data after the Department of Homeland Security resumed processing new Advance Travel Authorizations (ATAs) in the parole process for the CHNV program.
After an internal review, DHS implemented additional safeguards to the CHNV processes, including the rigorous enhanced vetting of U.S.-based supporters and the inclusion of biographic and biometric screening.
CBP said in a press release Monday that all CHNV beneficiaries continue to be screened and vetted by CBP before arriving in the U.S. and must meet additional criteria in order to travel to the U.S. once they purchase their own commercial airline tickets.
The data shows that nearly 530,000 migrants flew into the U.S. and were paroled. It also shows that about 813,000 migrants have scheduled appointments that were made on the CBP One app at ports of entry, to be released into the U.S.
Both are considered "lawful pathways" into the U.S. and were created by the Biden administration.
But the numbers do not count in data from the Border Patrol because they are not considered illegal crossings.
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Migrants taking part in the CHNV program are paroled into the U.S. on two-year humanitarian parole grants, which allow them to apply for work.
Fox News’ Bill Melugin said every U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) source he has spoken with tells him the same thing: they do not have the workforce or resources to find and deport such a large population of people if they overstay their two-year grants.
Also, ICE’s non-detained docket is on track to hit 8 million by the end of 2024 and each ICE officer is managing an average of 7,000 cases.
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On top of managing these cases, ICE is tasked with tracking down and removing immigrants with final orders of removal, aggravated felons, gotaways and others.
According to a recent report from the DHS Inspector General, ICE does not have the bodies to track and remove the additional population allowed under the Biden administration’s programs, nor has any agency been monitoring the parole expiration.
Conservatives have long alleged that the CHNV program abuses parole authority – which allows for foreign nationals to be let in for urgent humanitarian reasons or significant public benefit on a case-by-case basis. A coalition of Republican states filed a lawsuit against the program, but it was struck down by a district judge earlier this year.
