Biden’s Parole System Draws Over A Million Migrants To US, Data Reveals

President Joe Biden’s expanded parole system has attracted over a million migrants to the United States since January 2023, according to federal data. However, the administration faces significant challenges in tracking the status of these parolees once they enter the country.

The latest Customs and Border Protection (CBP) data shows that approximately 460,000 migrants arrived in the U.S. on commercial flights after being granted parole by the Biden administration. Additionally, 630,000 migrants sought parolee status at ports of entry through the CBP One mobile app. Despite this influx, a May report from the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) revealed a critical flaw: the administration lacks a system to track the migrants once they are in the U.S.

This gap in oversight has raised serious questions about the administration’s ability to manage the parole process effectively. The OIG report specifically questioned whether all individuals granted parole are being adequately monitored.

In January 2023, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) introduced a new parole process for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans who have a U.S. supporter, known as the CHNV Parole Process. Under this program, migrants are vetted and authorized to purchase airline tickets to enter the country legally and be granted parole.

The same month, the Biden administration launched the CBP One mobile app, designed to schedule appointments and encourage migrants to use lawful pathways rather than crossing the border unlawfully. Since its implementation, over 630,000 migrants have used the app to schedule appointments, with over 44,500 being processed in May alone. Most of these migrants are from Haiti, Cuba, Venezuela, Mexico, and Honduras.

Prior to the 2023 expansion, the Biden administration had already initiated a separate parole program for Afghans following the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021. Through Operation Allies Welcome (OAW), approximately 77,000 Afghans have been granted entry into the U.S. However, a May 2024 OIG report found that there was no system to track the parole status of these migrants.

Three DHS offices — CBP, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) — were responsible for vetting and facilitating the parole of these migrants. The OIG report revealed that none of these departments were effectively monitoring the expiration of parolees through the OAW program.

Since President Biden took office, more than 6 million migrants have been encountered at the southern border, according to CBP data. This includes over 1.2 million “gotaways” — individuals who successfully evaded border enforcement — between fiscal years 2022 and 2023. Additionally, over the past three fiscal years, CBP has apprehended more than 40,000 illegal migrants with prior criminal records.

“Our enforcement efforts are continuing to reduce southwest border encounters,” said Troy Miller, Senior Official Performing the Duties of the Commissioner, in response to the newly released CBP data. “But the fact remains that our immigration system is not resourced for what we are seeing.”

The lack of a robust tracking system for parolees poses a significant challenge to the administration’s immigration policies, raising concerns about national security and the effectiveness of current oversight mechanisms.