exclusive: Department of Homeland Security (DHS) data reveals hundreds of thousands of immigrants are flowing into more than 45 U.S. cities through a controversial parole program for four nationalities. The majority of them enter the United States through Florida airports.
During the eight-month period from January to August 2023, approximately 200,000 immigrants entered the United States through this program. Of these, 80% (161,562) arrived in four Florida 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 and is limited to Venezuelans, provided they are not in the country illegally, already have a sponsor in the United States, and pass certain biometric and background checks. It allowed those who were admitted to the United States to fly or travel directly to the United States. The program itself does not facilitate flights and immigrants are responsible for their own travel.
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Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas spoke at a press conference on Wednesday, May 10, 2023, ahead of the lifting of Title 42. (AP Photo/Kevin Wolfe)
In January 2023, the administration announced that the program would be expanded to include Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Cubans, and that the program would allow up to 30,000 people to enter the United States per month. The program allows immigrants to obtain a work permit and a two-year residence permit. In the United States, it was announced with the expansion of Title 42 deportation to include these nationalities. By the end of February 2024, more than 400,000 citizens had arrived under the parole program, according to Customs and Border Protection (CBP) data.
DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas recently said the program is a “safe and orderly way to reach the United States” and has “led to a reduction in the number of individuals of these nationalities.”
“This is a key element of our efforts to address the unprecedented levels of migration across the hemisphere, and other countries around the world need to make this an important part of their efforts to address the unprecedented levels of migration they are also experiencing. “We see it as a model for addressing the challenges of growth,” Mayorkas said.
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The top 15 cities for immigrants over the past eight months are as follows:
1) Miami, Florida: 91,821
2) Feet. Lauderdale, Florida: 60,461
3) New York City, NY: 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, NV: 483
15) Austin, Texas: 171
In its response to the subpoena, DHS also revealed that as of October 2023, approximately 1.6 million applicants are awaiting DHS approval to travel to the United States through the parole program.
“All individuals paroled into the United States, including those paroled under the CHNV process, are by definition inadmissible,” DHS said in its response to the subpoena.
Congressman Mark Green, Republican of Tennessee and Chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, attends a hearing of the House Homeland Security Committee on Wednesday, January 10, 2024 in Washington, DC, USA. (Getty Images)
Homeland Security Committee Chairman Mark Green argued that the program exceeds parole authority established by Congress. This power is to be used “on a case-by-case basis for urgent humanitarian reasons or in the vital public interest.”
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“These documents demonstrate Secretary Mayorkas’ extraordinary efforts to ensure that rejected aliens reach every corner of the country, from Orlando and Atlanta to Las Vegas and San Francisco,” he said in a statement. We have made it clear that there is.” “Secretary Mayorkas’ CHNV parole program is an illegal ploy used to hide the deepening border crisis from the American public. Implementation of a program that allows otherwise inadmissible aliens to directly enter the United States is an impeachable offense under the Immigration and Nationality Act. ”
He then referred to the House effort to impeach Mayorkas. That chamber impeached him, but the Senate has not held a trial on the articles.
“Following our subpoenas and the House’s impeachment vote, we believe that this administration is finally accountable for its open border policy and its devastating effects, especially given the Senate’s complete failure to meet its duty to hold a trial.” “This committee will not rest until we are asked about our homeland security,” he said.
Greene’s claims against the program are echoed in a lawsuit brought by several states seeking to block the program. The 20 states argued that this “is tantamount to the creation of a new visa program that would allow hundreds of thousands of foreign nationals to enter the United States without any basis whatsoever.”
The case was dismissed by a district judge, but the states appealed. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration has repeatedly said it is confident the lawsuit will ultimately be successful.
Spokesman Jeremy Redfern told Fox News: “Mr. Biden’s parole system is illegal and an abuse of constitutional authority. The state of Florida is currently suing Mr. Biden to end it. , we believe we will prevail.”
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DHS said people entering the United States under the program undergo and clear “rigorous security screening” and other eligibility criteria.
“These processes are published online, and DHS regularly provides the public with updates on their use. “It’s part of the government’s strategy to reduce immigration, which has historically kept hundreds of thousands of people from migrating irregularly,” a spokesperson told Fox News Digital this month. Ta.
