Unique, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) data More than 50 US cities are revealing where hundreds of thousands of migrants have flown through a controversial parole program for four nationalities – the majority of whom are entering the US through airports in Florida.
During an eight-month period from January to August 2023, approximately 200,000 migrants flew to the US through the program. 80% of them, (161,562) came to the state Florida in four cities:Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, Orlando and Tampa Bay, according to DHS data obtained through a subpoena by the House Homeland Security Committee and provided to Fox News.
The policy was first announced for Venezuelans in October 2022, allowing a limited number of people to fly or travel directly to the US unless they had entered illegally, having previously He already had a sponsor in the US, and had passed some biometric and biographical checks. The program itself does not facilitate flights, and migrants are responsible for their own travel.
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Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas speaks at a news conference ahead of the lifting of Title 42 on Wednesday, May 10, 2023. (AP Photo/Kevin Wolf)
In January 2023, the administration announced that the program was being expanded to include Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Cubans and that the program would allow entry into the US up to 30,000 people per month. It allows immigrants to obtain a work permit and a two-year authorization to stay. It was announced along with the expansion of Title 42 removals to include more nationalities in the US. According to Customs and Border Protection (CBP) data, by the end of February 2024, more than 400,000 citizens have come under the parole program.
DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas recently said that the program is “a safe and orderly way to access the United States” and that it has “reduced the number of those nationalities.”
“This is a key element of our efforts to address the unprecedented levels of migration in our hemisphere, and other countries around the world see it as a model for tackling the challenge of increased irregular migration that they too are experiencing.” Have been.” Mayorkas said,
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The top 15 cities to which migrants flew during the eight-month period are:
1) Miami, Florida: 91,821
2) Ft. Lauderdale, Florida: 60,461
3) New York City, New York: 14,827
4) Houston, Texas: 7,923
5) Orlando, Florida: 6,043
6) Los Angeles, California: 3,271
7) Tampa, Florida: 3,237
8) Dallas, Texas: 2,256
9) San Francisco, California: 2,052
10) Atlanta, Georgia: 1,796
11) Newark, New Jersey: 1,498
12) Washington, DC: 1,472
13) Chicago, Illinois: 496
14) Las Vegas, Nevada: 483
15) Austin, Texas: 171
DHS also revealed in the subpoena response that as of October 2023, approximately 1.6 million applicants were waiting for DHS approval to fly to the US through the parole program.
“All persons paroled into the United States are, by definition, inadmissible, including those found on parole under CHNV procedures,” DHS said in response to its subpoena.
Representative Mark Green, a Republican from Tennessee and chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, during a House Homeland Security Committee hearing on Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2024, in Washington, DC, US. (Getty Images)
Homeland Security Committee Chairman Mark Green argues that the program exceeds the parole powers granted by Congress. The authority is to be used “on a case-by-case basis for urgent humanitarian reasons or significant public benefit.”
“These documents highlight the great lengths Secretary Mayorkas will go to ensure unacceptable aliens Reaching every corner of the country, from Orlando and Atlanta to Las Vegas and San Francisco,” he said in a statement. “Secretary Mayorkas’ CHNV parole program is an illegal sleight of hand used to hide the worsening border crisis from the American people. Implementing a program that allows otherwise inadmissible aliens to fly directly into the US – not for significant public benefit or urgent humanitarian reasons as mandated by the Immigration and Nationality Act – has been proven to be an impeachable offense.
He then referenced the House’s efforts to impeach Mayorkas. The Chamber impeached him, but the Senate held no trial on the articles.
“Following our subpoenas and the House’s impeachment vote – especially in light of the Senate’s complete failure to fulfill its duty to hold hearings – the Committee will not rest until this Administration is brought to justice for its open-borders agenda and Not being held accountable for its devastating impact on the security of our homeland,” he said.
Green’s arguments against the program have been repeated in lawsuits by several states, which have sued to block the program. The 20 states argued that it “tantamounts to the creation of a new visa program that allows hundreds of thousands of aliens to enter the United States who otherwise have no basis to do so.”
The lawsuit was thrown out by a district judge, but the states have appealed. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis The administration has repeatedly said it is confident the lawsuit will ultimately be successful.
Press Secretary Jeremy Redfern told Fox News, “Biden’s parole program is unlawful, and an abuse of constitutional authority. Florida is currently suing Biden to shut it down, and we are confident we will prevail.”
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DHS has said that people who enter the US under the program must undergo “robust security screening” as well as other eligibility criteria.
“These processes are publicly available online, and DHS has been providing regular updates to the public on their use. These processes are part of the Administration’s strategy to combine expanded legal pathways with stronger outcomes to reduce irregular migration , and have maintained hundreds of thousands of people from migrating irregularly,” a spokesperson told Fox News Digital this month.
