The new immigration program initiated by the Biden administration will allow
certain Central America and Colombia citizens to enter the United States.
New family reunification parole (FRP) procedures were announced for
Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras on July 7 by the United States
Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
The initiative was first introduced in April.
While they wait for their immigration visas to the United
States, certain migrants with U.S.
families can enter and work thanks to the FRP protocols.
On July 7, the DHS said that parole consideration would be given to citizens
of these four countries on a case-by-case basis for up to three years while they wait
to apply for lawful permanent residency.
Migrants from those four nations may qualify they have relatives who are either U.S.
citizens or lawful permanent residents.
The DHS claims that this new program is an extension of the sweeping measures
it and the State Department announced in April to curb illegal migration in
the Western Hemisphere, significantly increase legal pathways to asylum,
and ensure the safe, structured, and humane processing of migrants.
In 2007, Cubans could access the procedures; in 2014, Haitians did likewise.
The programs had been discontinued by the Trump administration but were
resumed by the Biden administration.
Form I-30, also known as the Petition for Alien Relative, must
be filed and approved by a U.S.
family member on behalf of a relative in Colombia, El
Salvador, Guatemala, or Honduras.
If the petition is accepted, a family member in the United States can initiate the FRP
process by filing a request on behalf of their migratory relative to be considered
for advance travel permission and parole.
The Department of Homeland Security said that if an immigrant is given parole
status, allowing them admission into the United States, they are eligible
to apply for work authorization.
They will be qualified to apply for permanent when an immigrant visa becomes available.
Unlike the typical procedure of U.S.
citizens and green card holders applying for and waiting for an immigrant visa for a
relative, the FRP method can be a speedier avenue to entry into the United States.
On May 2, the Biden administration reported that, through the FRP
processes, the United States plans to accept as many as 100,000 people from
Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador.
However, no timeline has been offered, nor has any quota been
specified for Colombian immigration.
Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas issued a statement
affirming that the new procedures support family reunification and
offer legitimate legal avenues in line with American norms and principles.
Mayorkas also said that the Department had shown that increasing the number of legal
and safe entry points into the country and strict enforcement significantly
decreased the number of people who attempted to enter the country unlawfully.
Data from the United States Customs and Border Protection report shows
that over 110,000 Hondurans, 115,100 Guatemalans, 40,700 Salvadorans, and
126,200 Colombians were processed at the southwest border in fiscal year 2023.
The DHS emphasizes that under the new FRP rules, parole is only granted temporarily,
case-by-case, if the beneficiary can show compelling humanitarian or public
benefit considerations and that the DHS should use its discretion favorably.
The abovementioned conditions with the INA, passed in 1952.
The INA gives Mayorkas, the Secretary of Homeland Security, the authority to decide
whether or not to grant a foreign national parole entry into the United States.
As previously reported by DHS spokesman Erin Heeter in an email to The Epoch Times, on
June 1, the DHS boosted the number of CBP One appointment from 1,000 to 1,250 every
day, or roughly 30,000 to 37,500 per month.