Federal data reveals that President Joe Biden’s expanded parole system has attracted more than a million migrants to the United States since January 2023. However, a significant flaw has emerged within the administration’s parole pathway, as there is currently no means to track the status of parolees once they enter the country.
According to recent data from Customs and Border Protection (CBP), approximately 460,000 migrants arrived in the U.S. on commercial flights after being granted parole by the Biden administration. An additional 630,000 individuals sought parolee status at ports of entry through the CBP One mobile app. The Office of the Inspector General (OIG) discovered that despite granting parole to tens of thousands of Afghans since 2021, there is no existing system in place to monitor their whereabouts once they arrive in America.
The OIG report raises important questions about whether the administration is effectively keeping track of all individuals who have been granted parole into the U.S. On January 5, 2023, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) introduced a new parole process called the CHNV Parole Process for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans who have a “supporter” in the United States. This process involves vetting migrants and granting them authorization to purchase airline tickets, enabling them to enter the country and receive parole.
During the same month, the Biden administration launched the CBP One mobile app, which serves as a scheduling tool to encourage noncitizens to utilize lawful and safe pathways for entry. DHS has actively encouraged migrants to use the app instead of embarking on dangerous journeys to unlawfully cross between ports of entry. According to the report, over 630,000 migrants have scheduled appointments through the app since its implementation, with more than 44,500 individuals processed in May alone. The majority of migrants utilizing the app for appointments are from Haiti, Cuba, Venezuela, Mexico, and Honduras.
Before the expansion of parole programs in 2023 to manage the migrant influx, the Biden administration had already approved a distinct parole initiative for Afghans after the chaotic Afghanistan withdrawal in August 2021.
Under the Operation Allies Welcome (OAW) program, approximately 77,000 Afghans have been allowed entry into the U.S., as per a recent report. A report from May 2024 by OIG revealed that the federal government lacked a system to monitor the parole status of the many migrants. The responsibility of vetting and facilitating the parole of these migrants fell on three DHS offices, which included CBP, USCIS, and ICE, according to OIG. However, the report highlighted that none of these agencies were effectively tracking the expiration of parolees under the OAW.
Since Biden took office, CBP data shows that over 6 million migrants have been encountered at the southern border. Between fiscal years 2022-2023, there have been more than 1.2 million “gotaways” – individuals who manage to evade border enforcement successfully. In the past three fiscal years, CBP data indicates that over 40,000 illegal migrants with previous criminal records have been apprehended.
