Senator Ted Cruz is calling on the Departments of Justice and Homeland Security to immediately end a Democrat-led parole program, alleging that the program is rife with fraud and is enabling trafficking and violent crime, including “sexual assault, rape, and murder.”
In a letter sent Tuesday to Attorney General Merrick Garland and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, Cruz and his fellow senators call for the Cuba-Haiti-Nicaragua-Venezuela (CHNV) Parole Program to be terminated “immediately,” calling it “ineffective, unlawful, and hazardous.”
The senators also demand enhanced border security and immigration enforcement, a comprehensive investigation of the failures and abuses associated with the program, and the promise that any future immigration policies will be subject to appropriate congressional review.
The Biden-Harris administration temporarily halted the CHNV Parole Program in mid-July “out of an abundance of caution” following serious backlash to the program, which facilitated the entry of about 520,000 illegal aliens into the United States by plane.
Yet DHS restarted the program after less than six weeks’ pause, the senators wrote in their letter to Garland and Mayorkas, noting that DHS merely added new requirements for those who wish to sponsor illegal aliens to submit fingerprints.
“These stop-gap marginal improvements and platitudes to improve the program do not solve the fundamental fraud, failure, and illegality of the CHNV program,” the senators wrote. “This fundamentally-flawed program must be permanently dismantled, and steps must be taken to ensure that future immigration policies are both lawful and effective.”
Former US President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump (2L) speaks about immigration and border security near Coronado National Memorial in Montezuma Pass, Arizona, August 22, 2024. (Photo by OLIVIER TOURON/AFP via Getty Images)
DHS had pulled the plug on the program in July after an audit found that many of the program’s sponsors were lying about their relationship with the immigrants who were seeking U.S. residency, The Daily Wire’s Luke Rosiak reported on August 20. Many sponsors were posing as relatives or friends while exploiting migrants.
The Democratic Party still cites the program as its top plan for “expanding legal immigration and deterring illegal immigration.”
Cruz and his fellow senators allege that the CHNV Parole Program violates existing law. Section 212(d)(5) of the Immigration and Nationality Act stipulates parole can only be granted on a case-by-case basis for “significant public benefit or urgent humanitarian need.”
“By establishing a categorical program based on nationality, the Biden administration created a parallel immigration system without congressional approval,” the senators wrote.
The senators also warn DHS and DOJ that the program has “pervasive failure in oversight” and does not properly vet applicants, allowing fraudulent submissions.
“There have been many instances of crimes, such as sexual assault, rape, and murder committed by CHNV participants.”
The program is rife with massive fraud, the senators continue, citing an internal Homeland Security report that found a total of 100,948 forms had been filed by 3,218 sponsors who often did not provide their income or meet the financial threshold necessary to support the number of parolees they were asking to sponsor. The report also cited many instances of fake phone numbers and addresses and identical false information, “suggesting a coordinated attempt to exploit the program.”
“Scammers have been charging up to $5,000 for sponsorship, which underscores the program’s vulnerability to exploitation by traffickers and other malicious actors,” the senators wrote.
Given that the United States has “limited diplomatic relations with Cuba, Venezuela, and Nicaragua” and that Haiti lacks a functional government, the senators also expressed concerns that the program has exposed the United States to serious national security risks.
“This unprecedented surge has overwhelmed our border enforcement resources and heightened the risks associated with inadequate immigration controls,” they wrote. “Given these grave concerns, it is clear that the CHNV Parole Program represents a profound failure of policy and administration. The program has not only facilitated widespread fraud, but has also exposed serious vulnerabilities in our immigration system, leading to dire consequences for public safety.”
Supporters of former US President and 2024 presidential hopeful Donald Trump hold images of Laken Riley before he speaks at a “Get Out the Vote” rally in Rome, Georgia, on March 9, 2024. Riley, a nursing student, has become the face of immigration reform after she was murdered by an illegal alien. (Photo by ELIJAH NOUVELAGE/AFP via Getty Images)
The lawmakers also note that the program has been associated with a significant increase in Venezuelans entering the United States associated with a “troubling rise in crime” — including violent Venezuelan gangs operating within the country linked to drug trafficking, extortion, and violent assaults.
One such Venezuelan illegal alien has been charged with the brutal murder of Laken Riley, a 22-year-old nursing student from Georgia. Her killer is connected to the gang Tren de Aragua.
“The CHNV program’s design, which allows for large-scale entry without thorough individual vetting, has made it easier for criminal elements to exploit the system and to enter the interior of the United States,” the letter states. “In tandem with the current border crisis, the CHNV program does not only pose a direct threat to public safety but also strains law enforcement resources as they work to address the rising crime rates associated with an influx of inadequately vetted aliens.”
DOJ did not immediately respond to requests for comment from The Daily Wire. The DHS claimed that the CHNV parole processes have made southwest border encounters with these nationalities go down more than 99% from the period before they were implemented. Homeland Security also said that CHNV processes include thorough vetting of beneficiaries before they are approved to travel to the U.S, and through vetting of sponsors.
