WASHINGTON — The Biden administration is considering whether to limit the number of Haitians, Cubans and Nicaraguans who can claim asylum at the U.S.-Mexico border while opening other avenues for immigration, but have yet to make any final decisions, several sources told McClatchy and the Miami Herald.
The internal deliberations have been ongoing under the specter of the end of Title 42, a pandemic-era rule that allowed the U.S. government to turn away migrants at the border over health concerns. Officials fear the court-ordered end of that policy later this month could lead to a historic surge in migrant arrivals.
The discussions are centered around possible new parole programs for Haitians, Nicaraguans and Cubans that would look similar to one put in place earlier this year for Venezuelans. In October, the Department of Homeland Security announced a new initiative for Venezuelans to apply for residency in the United States while entering an agreement with Mexico that allowed U.S. border authorities to return Venezuelan migrants entering without authorization, citing a massive uptick in migrants from the South American country. NBC News first reported the possible parole programs for those three countries.
