Suspension of U.S. migrant sponsorship program over fraud worries

The Biden administration has paused a migrant sponsorship policy set up to discourage illegal crossings along the U.S.-Mexico border due to concerns about fraud among sponsors. The policy allows up to 30,000 migrants from crisis-stricken countries like Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela to fly to the U.S. legally each month if American sponsors agree to support them financially. The Department of Homeland Security has temporarily stopped issuing travel documents to new beneficiaries while it investigates applications filed by U.S.-based sponsors. The pause was triggered by concerns raised by the fraud detection branch of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, which noted a significant number of sponsors were applying to support multiple migrants. The fraud concerns relate to the people in the U.S. applying to sponsor migrants, not the migrants themselves.

Republican Rep. Mark Greene has expressed concerns about the program, stating that the pause vindicates his worries and calling for the immediate termination of the CHNV program. Since its inception, the CHNV policy has allowed roughly 520,000 Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans to fly to U.S. airports after rounds of security vetting. Arrivals of migrants from these countries to the U.S. southern border had reached record highs in past years but dropped dramatically after the Biden administration created policies specific to those nationalities. The Biden administration has paired the CHNV program with a policy of returning migrants from these countries to Mexico if they enter the U.S. illegally. Republican-led states have challenged the CHNV initiative in federal court, arguing it violates the intent of the humanitarian parole law.

Migrant crossings at the U.S.-Mexico border soared to record levels in 2022 and 2023 but have plummeted this year, reaching the lowest level in nearly four years in July. The massive drop has been attributed to a crackdown on asylum by President Biden, scorching summer temperatures, and efforts by Mexico to stop migrants. The Biden administration has been implementing various immigration policies to address the surge in illegal crossings at the U.S.-Mexico border, and the pause on the CHNV program underscores the challenges and concerns surrounding immigration sponsorship. The administration is working to review applications and ensure appropriate safeguards are in place before resuming the processing of new beneficiaries. Public reports have suggested that some people have been advertising sponsorships online, raising concerns about fraud and the need for stricter vetting processes.