Biden administration mulls implementing humanitarian parole program for Venezuelan migrant surge

President Joe Biden and his administration are considering a plan for undocumented Venezuelan migrants who have surged in numbers at the southwestern U.S. border in record amounts.

Biden’s White House is mulling over the option of implementing a humanitarian parole scheme comparable to one offered to Ukrainian migrants, working on trying to deter more from crossing the southern U.S. border illegally.

As the New York Times reported, for the first time, the amount of arrests of undocumented migrants at the U.S. southwestern border has surpassed two million in just one year.

A humanitarian parole program would allow a family member or a sponsor in the U.S. to apply on behalf of a refugee. The sponsor would have to commit to providing them with financial assistance while they are in the U.S.

More than 150,000 Venezuelans have been taken into custody at the U.S. southern border between October 2021 and the end of August.

While the program for Ukrainian refugees received bipartisan support in Washington, GOP lawmakers have appeared less receptive to the idea being implemented for Venezuelans.

While the humanitarian parole program would not apply to Venezuelans already in the United States, lawmakers and the Biden administration hope implementing the program would encourage migrants to arrive in the U.S. at an official port of entry.