Internal data obtained by Fox News via a House Homeland Security Committee subpoena to Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas' Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shows that thousands of illegal immigrants have been flowing into over 45 U.S. cities under a controversial program instated by the Biden administration.
The "CHNV" migration parole program stands for Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela. Immigrants from these countries are eligible to participate in the parole program. The program permits them to fly into the U.S. directly under certain conditions, such as having a sponsor in the U.S. and being approved for travel.
Between January and August 2023, approximately 200,000 migrants flew into the U.S. via this program. Notably, 80 percent of these arrivals, totaling 161,562 individuals, landed in four cities in Florida: Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, Orlando, and Tampa.
Giving important context, the majority population of all of these national origins live in Florida. For example, most Cuban-Americans live in Florida already. This likely means the immigrants may have family or the required program sponsors in that state. The same is true for the other nationalities: Most Nicaraguan, Venezuelan, and Haitian diaspora living in America are concentrated in Florida,
Here are the top 15 cities migrants flew into during this eight-month period, along with the corresponding population numbers:
- Miami, FL: 91,821
- Ft. Lauderdale, FL: 60,461
- New York City, NY: 14,827
- Houston, TX: 7,923
- Orlando, FL: 6,043
- Los Angeles, CA: 3,271
- Tampa, FL: 3,237
- Dallas, TX: 2,256
- San Francisco, CA: 2,052
- Atlanta, GA: 1,796
- Newark, NJ: 1,498
- Washington, D.C.: 1,472
- Chicago, IL: 496
- Las Vegas, NV: 483
- Austin, TX: 171
The policy, announced in October 2022, was initially only available to Venezuelans and restricted the number of individuals allowed to travel directly into the U.S. from Venezuela. Eligibility criteria included not having entered the U.S. illegally, having an existing sponsor in the U.S., and passing specific biometric and biographical screening processes. The program does not organize flights; individuals under the program are responsible for arranging and covering the costs of their own travel.
In January 2023, the Biden administration expanded the program to include Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Cubans, with a capacity to admit up to 30,000 individuals monthly into the United States. This initiative grants migrants work permits and a two-year authorization to reside in the U.S. The announcement coincided with the expansion of expulsions to include these nationalities under Trump-era Title 42. By the end of February 2024, over 400,000 foreign nationals have entered the country under the parole program, as per data from Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
Homeland Security Committee Chair Mark Green (R-TN) argues that the program exceeds parole powers put in place by Congress because the DHS authority is supposed to be used on a "case-by-case basis for urgent humanitarian reasons or significant public benefit."
In a statement, Rep. Green said:
These documents expose the egregious lengths Secretary Mayorkas will go to ensure inadmissible aliens reach every corner of the country, from Orlando and Atlanta to Las Vegas and San Francisco.
Secretary Mayorkas’ CHNV parole program is an unlawful sleight of hand used to hide the worsening border crisis from the American people. Implementing a program that allows otherwise inadmissible aliens to fly directly into the U.S. — not for significant public benefit or urgent humanitarian reasons as the Immigration and Nationality Act mandates — has been proven an impeachable offense.
Following our subpoena and the House’s impeachment vote — especially in light of the Senate's complete failure to fulfill its duty to hold a trial — the Committee will not rest until this administration is finally held accountable for its open-borders agenda and its devastating impact on our homeland security,
Florida, along with 19 other states, has sued to stop the Biden administration's program, claiming that it:
...amounts to the creation of a new visa program that allows hundreds of thousands of aliens to enter the United States who otherwise have no basis for doing so.
A district judge struck down the suit, but the states have since appealed. Republican Florida Governor Ron DeSantis' administration has continued to express optimism, saying that the legal challenges will ultimately succeed.
Press secretary Jeremy Redfern told Fox News:
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.
DHS claims that individuals who enter the U.S. under the program undergo "robust security vetting." DHS revealed that as of October 2023, about 1.6 million applicants were waiting for approval to fly to the U.S. via the parole program.