WASHINGTON.- The United States government has temporarily suspended travel permits for beneficiaries of the Humanitarian Parole program, following reports of significant levels of fraud, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) confirmed to Fox News.
The Humanitarian Parole program allows up to 30,000 citizens of Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela to legally enter the United States each month.
“DHS has mechanisms in place to detect and prevent fraud in our immigration processes. We take any abuse very seriously,” a DHS spokesperson said. “When fraud is identified, ICE investigates and brings cases to immigration court, in addition to making criminal referrals to the Department of Justice.”
“Out of an abundance of caution, DHS has temporarily suspended the issuance of advance travel authorizations while we review sponsor applications. We will resume processing as soon as possible, with appropriate safeguards in place,” the spokesperson added.
According to a congressional source, the pause was implemented in mid-July following an internal report that revealed a high incidence of fraud in applications submitted by applicants’ sponsors. DHS is conducting a detailed review of these applications to address and correct any irregularities found.
DHS emphasized that the review focuses exclusively on sponsor applications and does not directly affect applications from program beneficiaries. This temporary pause is intended to ensure the integrity and security of the travel authorization process by ensuring that all applications are properly and transparently verified.
Source: With information from FOX NEWS
