Using a law from the 1950s to start the largest expansion of legal immigration in modern US history, the Joe Biden administration has welcomed more than 500,000 migrants.
Those migrants are under programs meant to stop illegal border crossings or provide a safe haven for refugees. Unpublished government data obtained by CBS News show this.
500,00 Migrants Welcomed Under Parole Authority
According to internal government statistics, court records, and public reports, the administration has permitted at least 541,000 migrants to enter the US through the immigration parole authority, which gives federal officials the authority to authorize the entry of foreigners who lack visas.
By providing prospective immigrants with a safe and legal alternative to traveling to the United States with the aid of smugglers and entering the country illegally, officials have been able to deflect migration away from the southern border through the unprecedented use of the parole authority.
It has also given the agency a quicker option to resettle refugees as it works to reconstruct a resettlement system that was completely destroyed by the draconian cuts made during the Trump administration.
Officials have used the parole authority to welcome some 168,400 migrants from the Americas and the Caribbean who have American sponsors, 141,200 Ukrainian refugees, and 133,000 asylum seekers who were waiting in Mexico for an appointment; 77,000 Afghan evacuees.
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Requirements for Legal Entry And Residence In The US
The Joe Biden administration’s immigration parole programs collectively represent the largest increase in legal immigration in the last thirty years.
In addition, 22,000 Ukrainians were processed at the US southern border, according to the report, which shocked Republican opponents because Congress hasn’t increased legal immigration levels since 1990 despite decades of partisan impasse.
Immigrants often need a visa or refugee status to enter the US legally and live and work there.
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