The Biden administration will extend the legal status of hundreds of thousands of immigrants who were allowed to fly into the United States under a sponsorship program aimed at reducing illegal border crossings, the Department of Homeland Security said Friday. announced that it would not.
Instead, immigrants who came to the United States under the policy would be directed to obtain legal status through other immigration programs, leave the country, or face deportation proceedings.
The administration first launched the sponsorship program in October 2022, offering Venezuelans a way to legally enter the country if a U.S.-based individual agrees to sponsor them, allowing Venezuelans to cross the U.S.-Mexico border. The aim was to discourage people from traveling to It was later expanded in January 2023 to include immigrants from Cuba, Haiti, and Nicaragua, who were also crossing the U.S. southern border in record numbers at the time.
As of the end of August, 530,000 immigrants from these four countries entered the United States under the policy, known as the CHNV program, according to government figures. They were granted permission to legally live and work in the United States for two years under an immigration law known as parole, which the president can use to welcome foreign nationals for humanitarian or public interest reasons.
Approximately 214,000 Haitians, 117,000 Venezuelans, 111,000 Cubans and 96,000 Nicaraguans have come to the United States under this policy, according to government data. are. The first group to begin losing parole eligibility this month are Venezuelans who began entering the United States through the CHNV program in October 2022. Parole terms for Cubans, Haitians and Nicaraguans will begin to expire early next year.
Some advocates believe the Biden administration will extend the parole status of CHNV immigrants, similar to the extensions for tens of thousands of Afghan refugees and Ukrainian refugees who were also allowed to enter the United States under parole authority. Some people expected it.
But the Department of Homeland Security has decided not to offer parole extensions, or what the government calls “re-parole,” to immigrants who arrived in the United States under the CHNV initiative. Instead, these immigrants, whom the government calls parolees, will be given notices directing them to apply for new immigration benefits or leave the country.
“If you are not seeking legal status or an authorized period of stay, you must leave the United States before your authorized parole period expires or you will be subject to deportation proceedings after your parole period expires.” “possible,” the government said. Notification to parolees.
CBS News first reported on Thursday the decision not to update the parole status of Venezuelan CHNV arrivals.
Some people arriving under the Sponsorship Policy may be eligible to remain in the United States legally through other programs. For example, many Haitians and Venezuelans are eligible for Temporary Protected Status if they entered the United States before June 4, 2024 and July 31, 2023, respectively. Cuban parolees can also apply for permanent residency or green cards in the United States through Cold War-era immigration laws.
People arriving in CHNV can also apply for asylum, but only those who can prove they are fleeing persecution based on religion, race, political opinion, or other grounds can benefit from it. Only people. If you have a U.S. citizen relative who can sponsor you, you may be able to obtain an immigrant visa.
Still, the decision not to offer parole extensions to immigrants under the Sponsorship Policy leaves many of them unable to work legally and exempt from deportation unless they manage to obtain another status, leaving them in a state of legal incapacity. There is a possibility of falling into. It is unclear whether the parolees will ultimately be deported, as the governments of Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela currently deny or limit U.S. deportations. The United States has carried out regular deportations to Haiti in recent years.
The administration’s decision not to offer parole renewal to CHNV arrivals comes as advances argue that Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans are treated differently than Afghans and Ukrainians who entered the country through similar procedures. The move sparked outrage from activists and immigration advocates.
“While President Trump is making good on his promises to strip legal status and carry out mass deportations, why is the Biden administration forcing more people into legal incapacity?” Former Biden administration “They re-paroled Afghans and Ukrainians, so why would they specifically single out Venezuelans and make them particularly vulnerable?” senior official Andrea Flores wrote of X.
But the decision could also soften criticism from Republicans, who have strongly criticized the CHNV policy as a fraud-filled program that circumvents legal immigration procedures established by Congress. This summer, the policy was suspended for several weeks as authorities investigated fraud concerns related to immigrant sponsorship applicants.
The CHNV policy is a pillar of the Biden administration’s strategy to address the unprecedented levels of migrant crossings recorded at the U.S.-Mexico border since taking office in 2021. The policy combines this program with other processes for immigrants to enter the country. Legally, there are limits to asylum for people who cross the southern border illegally.
Since the partial ban on asylum claims came into effect in early June, illegal border crossings have fallen to a four-year low and remain there. The decline in illegal entry by immigrants eligible for sponsorship programs is even more pronounced, according to federal data.
The future of CHNV policy remains uncertain. Former President Donald Trump has indicated he intends to end it, along with other immigration programs under the Biden administration.
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