The Biden administration could resume as soon as this week a humanitarian program (CHNV) that allows migrants from Venezuela, Haiti, Nicaragua and Cuba to apply for asylum in the country, NBC News reported on Wednesday.
The program was halted weeks ago amid allegations of widespread fraud. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) stopped issuing travel authorizations to Venezuelans on July 6 and to the other nationalities on July 18. The issue has to do with so-called sponsors, a key component of the initiative: they are people living legally in the U.S. who can vouch for the migrants and ensure their financial support after their arrival.
A recent review by the Department of Homeland Security showed that over 100,000 applications had been filed by a little over 3,000 so-called serial sponsors.
The report found thousands of cases where the potential sponsors used the same street addresses and phone numbers, including a commercial warehouse in Orlando, Florida. It also found the usage of the same Social Security numbers, including those of dead people.
These patterns raised concerns among authorities about potential human trafficking, leading the Biden administration to pause the program while DHS reviews the applications. A government official told NBC News that there are about 30,000 applications left. And once the program resumes, applications will be manually vetted with enhanced processes. Potential fraudsters will be referred for further investigation. Six sponsors have been turned over to investigators for potential criminal immigration fraud.
The government is reportedly eager to resume the program as it believes it helps deter migrants from the benefited countries enter into the U.S. illegally. Over 2.6 people from the four countries have applied for entry, with over 530,000 being authorized to travel. It is not clear how many entered through the "serial sponsors."
Initially launched for Venezuelans in October 2022, the program was expanded in January 2023 to include Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Cubans. It allows migrants with U.S. sponsors who pass biometric and biographical vetting to receive work permits and a two-year authorization to live in the U.S. The program does not cover travel expenses, which migrants must bear themselves.
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