The Biden administration initiated a program in 2022 called the CHNV Program, which allows migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela to fly commercially directly to various U.S. airports for “urgent humanitarian reasons.” However, recent data obtained by the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS) revealed that migrants are being flown in from wealthy European countries like France and Germany, as well as popular vacation destinations such as the Bahamas and Jamaica.
According to the CIS report, over 460,000 migrants have been flown to the U.S. under this program, where they are granted temporary humanitarian parole for renewable two-year periods and given work permits. While these migrants are assumed to be applying for asylum during this time, they are not actually required to submit an asylum application.
The list of departure countries used in the program raises doubts about whether the migrants are truly in urgent danger. Migrants have been flown from countries like Australia, Iceland, Fiji, Greece, Finland, Norway, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Sweden, Italy, Poland, Hungary, and the Czech Republic. Additionally, other vacation hot spots like the Caribbean islands of Barbados, Martinique, St. Lucia, St. Kitts, Nevis, St. Vincent, and the Grenadines have also seen migrants flying to the U.S.
Elizabeth Jacobs, the director of regulatory affairs at CIS, criticized the program, stating that it is being used as a secondary immigration system without congressional authorization. She believes that the Biden administration may be paroling in aliens who have already resettled in safe countries but are taking advantage of the program under the guise of urgent humanitarian reasons.
However, the administration has defended the program as a humanitarian success, arguing that it prevents migrants from attempting dangerous crossings at the southern border. CIS, on the other hand, suggests that migrants coming from certain departure countries may have already found safety and resettlement elsewhere, making their journey to the U.S. unnecessary.
Andrew Arthur, a CIS fellow and former immigration judge, highlighted that migrants coming from countries other than Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela may be simply seeking to improve their living conditions rather than fleeing persecution. This raises questions about the legitimacy of their asylum claims.
The White House has not responded to requests for comment on these findings. For more updates on the border crisis and immigration issues, visit the Fox News Digital immigration hub.