The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced a new $1,000 fee for immigrants granted parole in the U.S., effective Thursday.
This fee aims to “promote accountability and combat fraud within the parole system,” as stated by the department’s communications office. It’s also designed to enhance oversight of immigration parole and discourage misuse.
“The Biden administration has manipulated our immigration system, turning parole into a sort of amnesty that lets millions of undocumented individuals enter the country without proper vetting, which ultimately harms American citizens,” remarked DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin.
In her comments, she added, “With this new fee, we are assuring foreign nationals who wish to remain in the U.S. that they won’t exploit the system. This Immigration Parole Fee serves as a tool to preserve our immigration framework and restore law and order.”
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services will handle the fee collection. Importantly, the charge will apply post-approval of the grant rather than at the application stage.
This policy change follows President Trump’s deployment of the National Guard in various locations to address crime and support ICE operations.
In a separate development, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors declared a state of emergency due to the administration’s immigration enforcement actions.
“Residents are scared to leave their homes, and my office has heard from constituents whose relatives are missing; they’re unsure if they’ve been detained by ICE or where they might be,” stated County Supervisor Janice Hahn.
Additionally, on the same day, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration over its proposal to increase the H-1B visa application fee to $100,000. The Chamber criticized this move as “not only poorly conceived but evidently unlawful.” This proclamation aims to pressure companies into hiring American instead of immigrant workers.
The lawsuit also asserted that the President’s actions do not align with Congressional intent.
