- Although the program has not been suspended, some applicants may face difficulties in entering the U.S. | Photo: Pixabay
Although the United States government temporarily paused the program of humanitarian parole on August 2, several experts on the subject have clarified the requirements if the program can continue to be applied for despite the measure.
A Department of Homeland Security (DHS) spokesperson recently clarified to the media Confidential that applicants for this process need an approved travel authorization (known as ATA) to enter the United States.
On the other hand, the Smart Immigration platform, an expert in providing advice on immigration procedures, confirmed on its Instagram account that the program has not been suspended, only the travel authorizations.
“The United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) portal remains active receiving requests for humanitarian parole, but the issuance of travel authorizations for fraudulent requests is suspended,” he explained.
People who applied for this program before it was temporarily suspended will have to wait until it resumes to receive authorization and be able to travel to the United States.
What is humanitarian parole?
This is a program aimed at Haitians, Cubans, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans that allows them to live and work legally in the United States. For this program, applicants must have a sponsor who resides in the United States.
This initiative began at the end of 2022 only for Venezuelan citizens and was later expanded to include the other three nationalities. It has allowed the entry of almost half a million migrants to the US, according to DHS data.
What should program applicants do with ATA?
Currently, cases have been recorded, such as that of the Avianca airlinewhich do not allow the boarding of passengers with the ATA, in the midst of the temporary suspension of the program. Lawyer Astrid Montealegre clarified to the media Confidential that this is a measure of the airlines.
“The airline has unilaterally taken the measure and requires the person to carry the ATA printed out as well as on their cell phone. Since the application is suspended, they cannot comply with this requirement. Immigration is currently working on it with the airlines,” he said.
For this reason, both Smart Immigration and Montealegre recommend that applicants for this program, who already have the ATA, first check with the airlines to see if they will be allowed to board the plane bound for the United States.
Smart Immigration also recommends that users verify their USCIS account and email to confirm that the ATA is still valid.
The reason for the suspension of humanitarian parole
In response to suspicions of fraud in humanitarian parole applications by sponsors, DHS announced “as a precautionary measure” that it would freeze the granting of travel authorizations “while it conducts a review of sponsor applications.”
The agency said it would restart the process as quickly as possible, with appropriate safeguards,” the spokeswoman said in a written statement.
To apply for the permit, migrants need to have a sponsor in the U.S. who already has legal status and can demonstrate that they have enough income to financially support the beneficiary of the program.
According to the chain Foxan internal DHS report found high levels of fraud in sponsor applications, leading to a pause in the granting of new permits starting last month.
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2024-08-14 03:42:32
