On Wednesday, The Department of Homeland Security announced a new effort to stop the migration of Venezuela’s convicted criminals to the United States, restoring in part the Trump-era policy of returning some migrants back over the border to Mexico.
The Department of Homeland Security stated that it would accept 24,000 Venezuelans through the legal avenue of “parole,” a privilege granted to DHS to allow aliens into the United States on an individual, frequently on a humanitarian basis - but used by the Biden Admin. in illegally broad swaths.
To qualify as one of the 24,000 Venezuelans allowed into the U.S. via parole, a Venezuelan national must apply, be vetted, and be accepted by DHS while still outside the country.
However, Venezuelans who defy these new rules, those who illegally jump the border, and are caught by Border Patrol, will be returned back to Mexico, according to the Department of Homeland Security. The move is reminiscent of President Trump’s effective and practical Remain in Mexico policy, which the Biden Admin. quickly ended upon inauguration.
The Remain in Mexico policy, which saw thousands of would-be asylum seekers returned to Mexico to await their immigration court dates, discouraged economic migrants with frivolous asylum claims from arriving at the border in the first place.
The Secretary of Homeland Security, Alejandro Mayorkas, stated that Venezuelans who illegally cross the border would be barred from the new legal status program. The Secretary added:
These actions make clear that there is a lawful and orderly way for Venezuelans to enter the United States, and lawful entry is the only way.
In addition, to qualify for legal parole status, Venezuelans must have a sponsor in the United States willing to support them financially. They must also pass a safety vetting and acquire all necessary vaccinations to qualify for the newly enacted parole.
For context, parole powers have been used to welcome approximately 100,000 Ukrainians and tens of thousands of Afghans; however, in the case of the Afghans, no sponsor was needed, given the dire circumstances and exigency of the military evacuation.
Biden’s DHS added the condition that the new legal pathway to the U.S. “will be open as long as Mexico cooperates on taking back those who don’t qualify,” Sec. Mayorkas concluded that “if the program goes well, the department ‘may consider expanding it in the future,’” reports The Washington Times,
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