In a recent damaging decision, the Biden administration placed the future of countless migrants from Cuba, Nicaragua, Haiti, and Venezuela in jeopardy. This pertains to the CHNV private sponsorship parole program, which they have irresponsibly decided not to extend. The implications are severe as hundreds of thousands of migrants allowed entry into the U.S. under a program crafted to lessen illegal border crossings now face uncertain futures.
In an unconsidered move, the Department of Homeland Security, under the Biden administration, announced that these migrants are now forced to pursue alternative immigration programs to maintain their legal status. If not, they are left with no other choices other than leaving the country or brace themselves for impending deportation proceedings.
The inception of the sponsorship program dates back to October 2022 when the idea was primarily designed to deter Venezuelans from flocking to the U.S.-Mexico border. It promised them a lawful pathway into the country, available only when sponsored by American-based individuals. Though well-received initially, the outcome now seems bleak.
The program widened its scope in January 2023, purporting to include migrants from Cuba, Haiti, and Nicaragua as well. The induced expansion resulted from a record influx of migrants from these countries crossing the U.S. southern border. The benefits of the policy, however, have been squandered by the recent stance of the current administration.
The CHNV program had remarkably facilitated the legal entrance of about 530,000 migrants from the four countries until August’s end. This was obviously an example of a seemingly promising policy in action. An immigration law called parole legally permitted the migrants to reside and work here for two years, under the discreet discretion of the presidents to accept foreigners on grounds permissible by public interest or humanitarian grounds.
Government reports showcase that the policy enabled approximately 214,000 Haitians, 117,000 Venezuelans, 111,000 Cubans, and 96,000 Nicaraguans to set foot on U.S. soil. Despite this, the Biden administration’s recent decision seems to disregard the potential humanitarian fallout from their decision to halt this program’s extension.
The decision by the Biden administration is not only heartless but also counterproductive. The appalling circumstances that justified the program’s establishment are still prevalent. Conditions in Cuba, Venezuela, and Nicaragua aren’t likely to improve anytime soon, given the rule of their harsh socialist dictatorships, while Haiti’s endemic violence continues to persist. Yet, these realities appear to be lost on the Biden administration.
The statutory law empowering the president to provide parole clearly states that it can be granted for ‘urgent humanitarian reasons or significant public benefit.’ But despite the evident and ongoing ‘urgent humanitarian reasons’ and despite the ‘significant public benefit’ of less border chaos, the administration has decided to go against it. This stands to directly harm the migrants who benefited from this policy.
Furthermore, the Biden administration’s shortsightedness ignores the negative impact that the loss of legal status will have on the U.S. economy and society as a whole. Migrants with legal status usually have access to a wider range of job opportunities and can integrate more effectively into society. This allows them to be more productive and contribute more significantly to the economy.
In a perplexing move, the administration temporarily shut down the CHNV program, asserting dubious concerns about fraud. This action was confusing to many as it went against the positive results seen from the program, only to then restart it with additional rules added.
This confusing series of decisions seems ultimately aligned with a characteristic lack of strategic foresightedness that has thus far characterized the administration’s policies. It appears that the Biden-Harris reign continues to maintain a track record of actions that undermine the core themes of democratic governance—justice, equality, and, most importantly, humanity.
The hastily decision to not extend the CHNV program seems less about genuinely addressing border issues or taking into account the state of the countries in question, namely Cuba, Nicaragua, Haiti, and Venezuela, and more about a misdirected attempt at political grandstanding.
The migrants who have already arrived in the U.S. under the CHNV policy now face an uncertain and potential dire future. The Biden administration’s decision can be seen as failing to uphold the values upon which America was built, and other nations worldwide look up to.
It’s a tragedy that the current administration has chosen to take this route, pulling the rug from under the very people who came here, believing in the promise of a better life. In the face of tyrannical governments and widespread violence in their home countries, they followed a legal process agreed upon by the U.S. Now, they face the prospect of losing everything once again.
The irony is, while Biden and Harris parade their administration as a beacon of empathy and progressiveness, their actions, notably in the context of immigration, seem to suggest otherwise. From the handling of the CHNV program to the broader stance towards immigration, it appears that their actions do not align with the values they purportedly espouse.
The relentless actions of the Biden-Harris administration to mishandle and dismiss humanitarian considerations surrounding the CHNV policy raises questions about their commitment to democratic values. The apparent hypocrisy continues to highlight their misalignment with the principles this great nation was built upon, and undoubtedly, this decision adds another chapter to their already questionable performance.