The Department of Homeland Security has announced that it will resume issuing travel authorization to migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela who have sponsors in the United States. The program was paused in July due to concerns about potential fraud, including the discovery of “serial sponsors” who were supporting a large number of applicants. Critics had raised concerns about human trafficking related to the program.
Despite not finishing the review of potentially fraudulent applications, the Biden administration is eager to restart the program because it believes legal immigration has helped reduce illegal border crossings. The resumed program will now include additional vetting procedures to strengthen the integrity of the process, including further scrutiny of sponsors’ financial records and criminal backgrounds, as well as a fingerprint requirement for all U.S.-based supporters.
Sponsors will be required to demonstrate that they can financially support the immigrants they are sponsoring, and those who are found to be exploiting or abusing the process will not be confirmed. Sponsors who have asked for payment from immigrants for sponsorship will be referred to law enforcement for potential prosecution.
An internal report that led to the pause on the program found instances of fraud, such as multiple applications using the same addresses, phone numbers, and Social Security numbers. However, the DHS spokesperson stated that the majority of cases were resolved with reasonable explanations, such as typographical errors. The spokesperson emphasized that all migrants admitted under the program so far have been thoroughly screened and vetted, with no identified issues of concern.
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