DHS records show the administration expanded parole pathways while unlawful crossings reached historic highs.
Newly reviewed federal documents show the Biden administration dramatically expanded its use of humanitarian parole beginning in late 2022, describing the policy in official filings as a strategy to “reduce irregular migration” by allowing migrants to enter the United States legally rather than cross the border unlawfully.
The Biden administration formalized these programs in a series of Federal Register notices, each establishing new parole pathways for foreign nationals and outlining DHS’s reasoning.
The earliest of these large-scale policies, focused on Venezuelan migrants, was announced in October 2022. The Department of Homeland Security explicitly stated that its goal was to create “a lawful process” to deter illegal entry by migrants.
According to a January 2023 DHS policy notice, the administration created new parole processes for nationals of Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela, explicitly framing the policy as a tool to “reduce irregular migration” and “provide a lawful and streamlined process.
Three months later, DHS expanded the model to nationals of Cuba, Haiti, and Nicaragua, creating what is now collectively known as the CHNV parole program.
In the official filing, DHS explained that the policy was designed to “reduce the number of individuals encountered at the Southwest Border” by providing “a safe and orderly process” for entry.
Migrants processed through parole became eligible for work authorization and Social Security numbers, and DHS confirmed in its filings that some beneficiaries could access specific federal supports depending on their classification and state.
The programs were implemented as the southern border faced historic pressure. U.S. Customs and Border Protection recorded 2,475,669 encounters in FY 2023, an all-time high.
