The Biden administration has announced a temporary suspension of permits for individuals from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela to enter the United States and stay for up to two years. This decision comes in light of concerns regarding potential fraud by their financial sponsors. Nearly half a million people from these four countries have arrived in the U.S. through June under presidential authority after applying online with financial sponsors and covering their own travel expenses.
This move is part of the Democratic administration's efforts to establish or expand legal pathways for entry while imposing restrictions on asylum for those who cross the border illegally. The Department of Homeland Security has stated that it has temporarily paused new authorizations to review the backgrounds of financial sponsors, emphasizing that there are no identified security or public safety concerns about the beneficiaries themselves, only their sponsors.
The department assured that beneficiaries undergo thorough screening and vetting before their arrival in the United States. While the exact timing of the suspension was not disclosed, concerns about potential fraud were raised by an internal Homeland Security report, as highlighted by the Federation for American Immigration Reform.
Republican critics have seized on this development, with House Speaker Mike Johnson stating that the program should never have existed and criticizing the Biden-Harris administration for allowing unchecked entry of hundreds of thousands of aliens into the country.
The policy, which was introduced for Venezuelans in October 2022 and later extended to individuals from the other three nationalities in January 2023, targets countries that send significant numbers of people to the U.S. and often refuse to accept deportees. Mexico has also committed to repatriating individuals from these countries who cross the U.S. border illegally.
Under this policy, the U.S. accepts up to 30,000 individuals per month from these countries for a two-year period, with eligibility for work authorization. As of June, over 194,000 Haitians, 110,000 Venezuelans, 104,000 Cubans, and 86,000 Nicaraguans have benefited from this program, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
Concerns about sponsors seeking financial gain have been evident, with online platforms like Facebook hosting groups where financial support is offered and sought. The number of arrests for illegal border crossings among individuals from these four nationalities has significantly decreased, indicating a shift in migration patterns.
