Republicans Move To Block Biden Admin’s Immigration Loophole
(PatriotWise.com) – The ranking Republicans on the House and Senate Judiciary Committees last week sent a letter to DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas demanding more information on the recently announced program that would permit tens of thousands of Venezuelan nationals to enter the United States using humanitarian parole.
Congressman Jim Jordan and Senator Chuck Grassley called Homeland Security’s “newly created categorical parole program” not only “another misguided immigration policy” but also a “flagrant violation of immigration law.”
DHS announced the parole program as part of a new agreement with Mexico. It provides a legal pathway for Venezuelan nationals to enter the United States. DHS said the program, which is capped at 24,000, would require Venezuelans to have a supporter in the US to provide support. The Venezuelans would have to pass biometric and other security screenings and complete public health requirements, including vaccinations.
A similar program was introduced earlier this year for Ukrainian refugees.
Secretary Mayorkas said in a statement that the program will ensure a “lawful and orderly way for Venezuelans to enter the United States.”
Jordon and Grassley, however, argued that the program ignores the intent of Congress and “departs from how past administrations have exercised case-by-case parole authority” while doing nothing to secure the border or prevent the “unprecedented surge of aliens” across the southern border.
The Immigration and Nationality Act states that parole can only be used on a case-by-case basis for urgent humanitarian reasons or significant public benefit. However, the act has been used to parole massive numbers of so-called migrants across the southern border and in special cases like Afghan refugees after the US withdrawal and the entry of Ukrainian refugees after the Russian invasion.
In their letter, the lawmakers argue that, contrary to Mayorkas’ assertion, the Secretary of DHS can’t legally create a pathway for anyone to enter the United States, adding that it is “another example of how the Biden administration displays contempt for enforcing federal immigration law as set by Congress.”
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