The U.S. government has paused its migrant sponsorship program due to concerns about fraudulent practices affecting the humanitarian program’s integrity.
The Biden administration has hit one of the biggest roadblock in its efforts to manage the migrant crisis. An initiative dedicated to provide a legal pathway for individuals from to enter the United States has been temporarily freezed amid alarming reports of fraud. The humanitarian program, which began in 2022, is now under official review. Authorities are examining the entire procedures to identify any loopholes.
(FILES) Parents-to-be from Haiti stand at a gap in the US-Mexico border wall after having travelled from South America to the United States, in Yuma, Arizona, on December 10, 2021. (AFP)
US halts its humanitarian entry program
The special US policy, which allowed up to 30,000 migrants per month to fly into the country under the sponsorship of U.S. citizens, has come under scrutiny as officials investigate a surge in fraudulent applications, reports Fox news.
This policy was originally implemented to prevent illegal crossings at the U.S.-Mexico border and later saw an expansion in early 2023 to deter migrants from crisis-affected countries from reaching the U.S. southern border.
US migrant sponsorship program reports fraud cases
The massive step was taken in mid-July, according to a congressional source who spoke to Fox. This action followed reports of suspected fraudulent activities uncovered in applications from those sponsoring migrants. The pause, according to DHS, is being implemented to review the overall process.
“DHS has temporarily paused the issuance of advanced travel authorisations for new beneficiaries while it undertakes a review of supporter applications.”
When will the program restart?
As per the department’s official statement, “DHS will restart application processing as quickly as possible, with appropriate safeguards.” The organization clarified that the focus is on issues with the supporter filings, rather than those from the program’s beneficiaries themselves.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) first put the sponsorship program for Venezuelans on hold in July, and then decided to stop it for Cubans, Haitians, and Nicaraguans too.
DHS has review mechanisms in place to detect and prevent fraud and abuse in our immigration processes. DHS takes any abuse of its processes very seriously,” a spokesperson said. “Where fraud is identified, and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will investigate and litigate applicable cases in immigration court and make criminal referrals to the Department of Justice.”
