Good afternoon from Capitol Hill.
Both chambers are officially out of session for their August recess. They return on September 9th.
We often discuss the chaos and disorder of our southern border – but what about our legal immigration programs? Turns out they’re not doing much better. That’s according to an internal U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) report obtained by the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR).
The report details massive fraud within the program known as Processes for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans (CHNV). Created in 2022 for Venezuelans, CHNV was expanded in January 2023 to include Cubans, Haitians, and Nicaraguans and allows for entry into the United States under “humanitarian parole” of up to 30,000 nationals from each of those four countries per month. To qualify, aliens must only identify a “sponsor” in the United States.
Between October 2022 and March 2024, the program admitted nearly half a million individuals. The problem? As outlined by FAIR, the Department of Homeland Security “has been rubber stamping parole applications without verifying information provided by sponsors or parolees” on the I-34A, which is the paperwork filed by the parolee’s supposed sponsor. From the report:
According to the internal agency review, evidence of fraud includes the use of fake Social Security Numbers (SSNs), including SSNs of deceased individuals, and the use of false phone numbers. Many applications listed the same physical address. In fact, 100 addresses were listed on over 19,000 forms, and many parole applicants applied from a single property (including a mobile park home, warehouse, and storage unit). In addition, many applications were submitted by the same IP address. If this weren’t bad enough, the same exact answers to Form I-134A questions were provided on hundreds of applications – in some instances, the same answer was used by over 10,000 applicants.
As a result of these findings, U.S. Customs and Border Patrol has reportedly suspended entry via the CHNV program. However, as FAIR notes, “it remains unclear if and how DHS is resolving the prevalence of fraud in the program.”
In hindsight, the impeachment of DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas by the House in February looks prescient, while the Senate’s dismissal of the effort looks irresponsible. Mayorkas is not only overseeing – arguably, allowing – a complete dysfunction at the southern border, but the legal immigration programs he’s running are riddled with fraud.
Meanwhile, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, also overseen by Mayorkas, is letting migrants out of custody, including two illegal Jordanian migrants charged with trying to breach the Marine Corps Base Quantico in May. It’s also worth pointing out that Mayorkas, as head of DHS, also oversees the Secret Service, whose recent failures almost got a presidential candidate assassinated.
All of this puts the forthcoming congressional funding fight in renewed spotlight. As Rep. Chip Roy has repeatedly pointed out, the bedlam at the southern border is a policy choice. Just like the weaponization of the Department of Justice, the DEI and abortion initiatives in the military, and the government’s Big Tech censorship regime, the salaries and programs continue to be funded by Congress.
Will congressional Republicans finally stand up to the Senate and end this madness? They have options – either a showdown over funding these programs in a year long appropriations bill, or passing a short term Continuing Resolution which allows a new administration to lay out its own funding strategy. We’ll find out in September.
The Latest From Around The Conservative Movement
One More Thing…
Become a CPI fellow! Applications for our Magnus, Intrepidus, and Veritas fellowships for conservative congressional staff are now open.
Source link
