Recently revealed Department of Homeland Security data shows the full extent of the mass parole program that has allowed tens of thousands of potentially unlawful migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela to skip the typical immigration process.
The data reported by Fox News shows that over 400,000 migrants have been flown to the United States and released into more than 45 cities. The program, formally known as the “Processes for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans” (CHNV), was expanded in 2023 by the Biden administration.
DHS Secretary Anthony Mayorkas has defended the program as a “safe and orderly way to reach the United States,” reported Fox.
“It is a key element of our efforts to address the unprecedented level of migration throughout our hemisphere, and other countries around the world see it as a model to tackle the challenge of increased irregular migration that they too are experiencing,” Mayorkas said.
According to a post on X by Fox News commentator Bill Melugin, Miami received the largest number of migrants via the program — 91,821. Fort Lauderdale was second, with 60,461 migrants reported.
“Biden’s parole program is unlawful and constitutes an abuse of constitutional authority. Florida is currently suing Biden to shut it down, and we believe that we will prevail,” said Jeremy Redfern, press secretary for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, in a statement to WINK News.
The data shows three cities in Texas were among the top destinations. Dallas (2,256), Houston (7,923), and Austin (171) all made the list, which has led to complaints from Texas lawmakers, reported Fox News.
“The invasion at our southern border has turned every American city into a border city, and the Biden administration’s efforts to fly illegal aliens across the country is the reason why,” Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “Biden’s fast-track processing, and programs like their CHNV parole program, are only pushing the border crisis further into the interior of the country. Every day, our national security is being undermined more and more by the Biden administration.”
Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) also spoke out against the parole program.
“So the impact is severe,” Roy said, per Fox News Digital. “This parole program now I think the Texans are going to go: ‘Wait a minute. You mean they’re flooding across the border and you’re flying people directly to our airports and to our communities?’ And I think that’s going to just continue to elevate the frustration people feel.”
CHNV was first unveiled in 2022 and initially applied to only Venezuelans. The Biden administration has not been counting the migrants flown in via CHNV as the program is considered a “lawful pathway,” which has the effect of artificially lowering the number of encounters with unlawful migrants, according to Melugin.