Biden admin to resume migrant sponsor program with new safeguards
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President Biden in Chicago, Illinois, on Aug. 19. Photo: Jacek Boczarski/Anadolu via Getty Images
The Biden administration announced Thursday that it's resuming an updated version of a migration program that was paused last month over concerns of potential fraud.
The big picture: The policy, which has granted hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans, Cubans, Haitians and Nicaraguans legal entry into the U.S., will have a new vetting process aimed at stopping people from filling out fraudulent applications to sponsor migrants.
Zoom in: The parole program has allowed as many as 30,000 people from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela to enter the U.S. by plane each month, with the condition that they are vetted and have a sponsor in the U.S. who can financially support them.
- Through humanitarian parole, the migrants are provided protection from deportation and work permits for two years.
State of play: The program was halted in July as the Department of Homeland Security said it reviewed sponsor applications.
- Under the updates announced Thursday, those seeking to sponsor migrants will have to submit fingerprints as part of the review process.
- Financial and criminal records of potential sponsors will also be examined more closely.
Between the lines: The program has been a critical part of the administration's carrot-and-stick approach to border enforcement over the past year as it has grappled with historic levels of migration to the U.S.-Mexico border, Axios' Stef W. Kight reports.
What they're saying: "Together with our existing rigorous vetting of potential beneficiaries seeking to travel to the United States, these new procedures for supporters have strengthened the integrity of these processes and will help protect against exploitation of beneficiaries," a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said in a statement.
Yes, but: Texas and 20 other states sued the Biden administration, arguing both that the program's scope exceeds the administration's authority and that the program is too costly to states.
- But after both sides agreed the number of affected migrants entering the U.S. dropped by as much as 44%, a federal judge ruled in March the states "are unable to demonstrate that they have been injured by the Program."
- The ruling is currently the subject of an appeal, per the case docket.
The White House did not immediately respond to Axios' request for comment.
Go deeper: Judge rejects GOP attempt to block Biden's migrant "parole" program
