President Biden announced his administration is expanding an immigrant parole program for immigrants from Venezuela, Cuba, Nicaragua and Haiti. Effective immediately, citizens from those countries who cross the border illegally or arrive at a port of entry unannounced will be deported to Mexico, which has agreed to accept returns of 30,000 people per month.
Under the program, the United States will welcome 30,000 individuals per month who will be allowed to live and work in the United States for two years. But if they try to cross illegally they will not be eligible for the new legal pathway.
Migrants will have to apply through a cellphone app called CBP One and then make an appointment for a meeting at a port of entry. To be approved, applicants will need to pass a security screening, have a financial sponsor in the U.S. and complete vaccinations and other health requirements.
“If you’re trying to leave Cuba, Nicaragua or Haiti, or have agreed to begin a journey to America, do not, do not just show up at the border. Stay where you are and apply legally from there,” President Biden said.
This announcement comes as mayors and governors who are dealing with the immigration influx at the local level are asking for more help from the federal government. That includes the Mayor of El Paso, Texas who has migrants sleeping in the streets, and New York City Mayor Eric Adams who has accepted bus loads of migrants but said his resources are being strained.
The president pointed his finger at Republicans, and said Congress needs to pass comprehensive immigration reform.
“It’s clear that immigration is a political issue that extreme Republicans are always going to run on. But now they have a choice, they can keep using immigration to try to score political points or they can help solve the problem,” the president said.
The president will make his first trip to the border this Sunday, when he goes to El Paso. He said he will assess border enforcement operations and meet with local officials so they can tell him in person what they need.
The president and his Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas said the border is not open. That statement has been heavily criticized by Republicans, Democrats and nonpartisans who are impacted by the immigration influx. The pair also urged people in Central America who are considering the journey north not to listen to coyotes, or human smugglers, who say they can get them to America safely for thousands of dollars.
Customs and Border Protection put out a release that said human smuggling is on the rise in South Texas in the Rio Grande Valley. Agents at Border Patrol checkpoints have discovered immigrants being smuggled in cars and tractor trailers, the same tactics smugglers have been using for years.
