Updated Vetting Process Included with Reactivated Immigration Program

The humanitarian parole program offering qualifying individuals form Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela a legal pathway to come to the U.S. is now active. The Department of Homeland Security announced they are again actively reviewing and approving travel documents, as appropriate. Additional vetting is now included in the immigration program process.

The program was temporarily suspended earlier this month, based on concerns of fraud. Per the program guidelines, the U.S. accepts up to 30,000 qualifying individuals per month from the included countries. To qualify, individuals must have a financial sponsor in the U.S. who vouches for them. Both parties, the sponsor and the migrant, undergo vetting by Homeland Security. If approved, migrants are eligible for work authorization.

Introduced in January 2023, the immigration program aims to support legal migration from the selected countries while restricting asylum for those who cross the border without a legal basis. Countries sending large numbers of individuals to the U.S. who generally refuse to accept those returned to their home country are the focus of the program. The program works in conjunction with Mexico who agrees to take individuals from selected countries who cross the border without a legal basis.

Additional vetting includes more scrutiny on the financial records of the U.S.-based sponsors, as well as their criminal history. With the reinstated program, sponsors are also required to submit fingerprints. Further, DHS is increasing steps to identify fraudulent sponsors and those that submit numerous applications. The use of fake Social Security numbers was found during the internal review. However, DHS states when vetting the migrants themselves, no issues were uncovered.

Illegal crossing arrests have significantly dropped among the eligible countries. Cubans were arrested just over 5,000 times in the first half of the year. Over 42,000 arrests were made in November 2022 alone for Cuban nationals. For Haitian individuals, just over 300 arrests were made in the first half of the year compared with nearly 18,000 in September 2021.

As always, ILBSG actively monitors ongoing updates to U.S. immigration policy and programs. If you have questions about any U.S. immigration related issue, contact us. Our team of experienced attorneys work directly with our clients to ensure they receive the right advice for their particular situation.