New Parole Program Leaves Venezuelans in Legal Limbo
New Parole Program Leaves Venezuelans in Legal Limbo
On October 12, 2022, the Department of Homeland Security announced a new migration enforcement process for Venezuelans. Recently, states like New York and Washington DC have seen an influx of immigrants due to Florida’s governor Ron DeSantis’s relocation tactics for sending immigrants to sanctuary cities. Migrants have been persuaded to board transport, under the misapprehension that support, jobs, and resources await them at the end of their journey. However, once they reach the final destination, they learn that the promises of assistance were lies. The cities to which migrants have been transported in this ad hoc, disorganized, fashion have been forced to respond quickly, gathering as many resources as possible to support these relocated women, men and families. Although cities like New York are establishing centers to respond to the influx of migrants, many of these people are left without adequate support, having to fend for themselves.
For many asylum seekers, the new policy is hope for a life in the United States, but it does not provide as much reassurance as they might hope for. As of Oct 12, 2022, migrants who enter the United States illegally will be expelled to Mexico. To reduce migration, the U.S. plans to accept a total of up to 24,000 migrants under its new parole program. To be considered, Venezuelans must have a passport and apply for the program online.
In order to qualify for the program, Venezuelan asylum seekers must:
- Have a sponsor in the U.S. who can provide financial support
- Pass biometric and biographic national security and public safety screenings and vetting
- Have completed vaccinations and other public health requirements
Venezuelan asylum seekers will NOT be eligible if they:
- Have been ordered to leave or been removed from the United States during the last five years
- Have crossed a port of entry after the date of announcement without authorization
- Have irregularly entered Mexico or Panama after the date of the October 2022 policy announcement, are a permanent resident or dual national of any country other than Venezuela, or currently hold refugee status in any country
- Have not completed vaccinations and other public health requirements
The new parole program offers a chance to obtain temporary status for those who wish to migrate to the U.S., but asylum seekers who arrived prior to the implementation of this new process are stranded without a pathway to legality. About 33,000 migrants arrived at the Southwest Border (AZ, CA, TX) in September. Many Venezuelans who recently started to make their way to the U.S., as well as those currently in the country, are legally stranded. Venezuelan refugees who qualify for the programs will only be able to apply from abroad, leaving thousands of the Venezuelan migrants who are now in the U.S. fearing expulsion and/or forced return to their home country.
The success of the parole program depends on the partnership between the U.S. and Mexico. Mexico has agreed to accept migrants who have been expelled but is also urging the U.S. administration to admit one Venezuelan parolee for each Venezuelan they expel to Mexico. This means that if 24,000 Venezuelans are accepted, Mexico will only accept 24,000 people who have been expelled. If these admission practices are enforced by both countries, some Venezuelans would be forced to return home, or to settle in other countries.
Many Venezuelan migrants are fleeing political instability and the unsafe conditions of their home country. Those who migrate to the U.S. do so in order to seek asylum. The new parole process makes it harder for asylum seekers to obtain relief, due not only to program requirements for documents that people who are fleeing their country are unlikely to have access to, but also because of the current expansion of Title 42, which previously closed U.S. ports of entry to asylum seekers under the pretense of pandemic health and safety issues.
Impact on Children: The Venezuelan parole program leaves unaccompanied children who are seeking asylum without options. Those under 18 traveling without a parent or guardian are not eligible for advanced authorization or parole to travel to the U.S. In September 2022, about 11,900 children were in U.S. Customs and Border Protection custody. Since August 2022, there has been a 5% increase in children arriving, with 559 more children than the 11,341 who came in before. The parole program is aimed to be a deterrent, but many children and families continue to undertake the dangerous journey into the United States, people who started their journey prior to implementation of the new parole policy. The journey to the U.S. is extremely dangerous, making children, as well as adults, vulnerable to violence and exploitation.
Children and families who have been expelled from the U.S. are camping beside the Rio Grande in Mexico, near El Paso, TX, as they figure out a way to re-enter. Those without options are currently enroute or in Mexico, hoping to obtain refuge while living in fear of being sent back home.
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For more information on the current program and ways to take action, see the websites below:
https://www.uscis.gov/venezuela
https://www.rescue.org/article/what-happening-venezuela
Ask President Biden to end Title 42: https://action.aclu.org/petition/tell-biden-end-trumps-illegal-and-inhumane-immigration-policies
Author: Nicauris Veras, Program Officer – Policy and Advocacy Initiatives