'End the Program': Biden's Migrant Flight Initiative Faces Pressure to Terminate Following Fraud Disclosures

The controversial Biden parole program, which allows tens of thousands of migrants to enter the U.S. monthly, is facing pressure due to new revelations about fraud on the sponsor side. Conservatives are calling for the program to be abolished altogether.

The Department of Homeland Security has temporarily stopped issuing advance travel authorizations for the program that permits up to 30,000 nationals from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela (CHNV) to enter the U.S. legally each month under the administration's use of parole if they meet specific conditions, as reported by Planet Chronicle Digital on Friday.

"The program should have never existed in the first place," said Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., on Friday. "Shut it down permanently. This is just another way the Biden-Harris administration has welcomed hundreds of thousands of aliens into our country, unchecked."

Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, R-Miss., stated that more evidence has emerged of another failed Biden-Harris border policy, and the only surprising aspect is their admission of it.

Rep. Eric Burlison, R-Mo., stated that the illegal CHNV parole program should be permanently shut down and every illegal alien, particularly those who have been allowed into the country by the Biden/Harris administration, should be deported.

The pause in DHS's review of sponsor applications for the program occurred in mid-July due to an internal report revealing fraud in applications from program sponsors. The focus of the review is solely on issues with the sponsor filings, and not with the filings from the program's beneficiaries.

"The DHS has mechanisms in place to detect and prevent fraud and abuse in its immigration processes. Any abuse of these processes is taken very seriously by the DHS. If fraud is identified, ICE will investigate and prosecute applicable cases in immigration court and make criminal referrals to the Department of Justice."

DHS has temporarily halted the issuance of advanced travel authorizations for new beneficiaries due to a review of supporter applications. They will resume processing as soon as possible with necessary precautions.

The program, launched in early 2023, enables eligible individuals to legally enter the U.S. if they have a U.S. supporter and pass biographic and biometric vetting. Although it does not provide flights, migrants arrange their own travel. The program grants work permits and allows individuals to reside in the U.S. for two years.

An internal report revealed that hundreds of times, Social Security numbers and ZIP codes were included in forms submitted by applicants for the program's supporter program.

According to a report shared with Planet Chronicle Digital by the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), 100,948 forms were completed by 3,218 serial sponsors, whose number appears on 20 or more forms.

"Green stated that the subpoena issued last year to DHS for documents regarding the program was partially complied with, but the department is still delinquent in producing certain documents and communications related to the program. The statement also revealed that the administration officials, including now-impeached DHS Secretary Mayorkas, had lied about the quality and extent of the vetting process for both inadmissible aliens seeking entry and those attempting to sponsor them."

"The CHNV program should be terminated immediately by the Biden-Harris administration because it was created to avoid political embarrassment and bad optics of overrun borders."

The program, which grants parole to foreign nationals for humanitarian reasons or significant public benefit on a case-by-case basis, has been criticized by conservatives for years. A group of Republican states filed a lawsuit against the program, but it was dismissed by a district judge in 2021.

The lawsuit led by Gene Hamilton, vice president and general counsel of America First Legal, stated that the program is a violation of the immigration laws established by Congress and a recipe for fraud against the American people and government.

"According to Hamilton, the Biden administration was aware of the risks associated with the fraud in the program but chose to proceed with it. Approximately 500,000 illegal aliens are already in the U.S. through this program. The Biden-Harris open borders agenda lacks a limiting principle, and Hamilton believes the program should be shut down permanently."

Prior to their arrival in the United States, CHNV beneficiaries undergo thorough screening and vetting.

"The spokesperson stated that the multi-layered screening and vetting for advanced travel authorizations is different from the screening of U.S.-based supporters. DHS has not found any issues with the screening and vetting of beneficiaries."

Planet Chronicle’ Jacqui Heinrich contributed to this report.