On January 5, 2023, President Biden announced an expanded parole program to alleviate the current crisis at our southwest border. In October 2022, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced a limited 24,000 travel authorization for Venezuelans to apply for parole to enter the United States legally to seek relief from a humanitarian crisis. This measure has resulted in a decrease of Venezuelan migrants attempting illegal entry at the border. However, the number of migrants from other countries at the border has swelled in the past few weeks. The expanded parole is an attempt by the Biden Administration to curb illegal entry and alleviate the crisis at our Southwestern border.
DHS is modifying its numerical limits and expanding parole to migrants from Cuba, Haiti, and Nicaragua will maintain this same policy for Venezuela. The administration will now expand the parole to 30,000 parole travel authorizations per month from these countries.
Applicants will require a supporter in the United States to sponsor their application. The supporter must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident, nonimmigrant in lawful status, asylee, or any individuals with Temporary Protective Status (TPS) or DACA. Applicants must also undergo background and security betting and warrant favorable exercise in discretion. DHS will consider these applications on a case-by-case basis and allow temporary parole into the United States for up to two years for humanitarian reasons.
Please note that this parole application only applies to applicants that are nationals of Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua or Venezuela (or their immediate family members of any nationality) who are outside of the United States. This expanded parole program does not apply to individuals that are already currently in the United States.
To expansion of this parole is also paired with a deterrence measure to discourage illegal entries to the United States from these four countries. Migrants from these four countries will face immediate removal to Mexico under the Title 42 pandemic-era measure if they cross the U.S. border illegally.
Migrants that are paroled in the United States will be able to assess other forms of immigration relief. DHS is warning people about becoming victims of immigration scams. It is imperative that you only seek legal advice from a licensed attorney.
At Wilner & O’Reilly, APLC, we continue to assist migrants to achieve their immigration goals. If you have a family member or friend from Venezuela, Cuba, Haiti, or Nicaragua that is eligible for this program, contact one of our offices for a consultation with an attorney who specializes in immigration law. We offer telephonic, video, and in-person consultations at our offices in Orange, Riverside, San Diego, Fresno, Sacramento, and San Francisco, California; Phoenix, Arizona; Salt Lake City and Orem, Utah; and Boise, Idaho.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR(S)
CHIEN-YU (MICHAEL) WANG – MANAGING LAWYER – SACRAMENTO
Chien-Yu (Michael) Wang is the Managing Attorney at Wilner & O’Reilly’s Sacramento office. He handles both family and business-based immigration matters along with removal defense. Mr. Wang is admitted to the State Bar of California and the U.S. District Court for the Central and Eastern Districts of California. He is a member of the Los Angeles Country Bar Association, the Southern California Chinese Lawyers Association, the Sacramento County Bar Association, and the Asian-Pacific Bar Association of Sacramento.
Mr. Wang graduated from the University of California, Davis with a Bachelor’s Degree in Japanese and East Asian Studies, and also studied at the Waseda University in Tokyo, Japan. He earned his Juris Doctorate degree from Southwestern Law School, graduating at the top of his class.
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