EXCLUSIVE: Department of Homeland Security (DHS) data is revealing the more than 45 cities in the U.S. that hundreds of thousands of migrants have flown into via a controversial parole program for four nationalities — with the vast majority entering the U.S. via airports in Florida.
During an eight-month period from January through August 2023, roughly 200,000 migrants flew into the U.S. via the program. Of those, 80% of them, (161,562) arrived in the state of Florida in four cities: Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, Orlando and Tampa Bay, according to DHS data obtained via a subpoena by the House Homeland Security Committee and provided to Fox News.
The policy was first announced for Venezuelans in October 2022, which allowed a limited number to fly or travel directly into the U.S. as long as they had not entered illegally, had a sponsor in the U.S. already, and passed certain biometric and biographical vetting. The program does not itself facilitate flights, and migrants are responsible for their own travel.
‘ILLEGAL PROGRAM': GOVERNOR VOWS TO FIGHT BIDEN FLYING MIGRANTS INTO US
In January 2023, the administration announced that the program was expanding to include Haitians, Nicaraguans and Cubans and that the program would allow up to 30,000 people per month into the U.S. It allows for migrants to receive work permits and a two-year authorization to live in the U.S. and was announced alongside an expansion of Title 42 expulsions to include those nationalities. By the end of February 2024, more than 400,000 nationals have arrived under the parole program, according to Customs and Border Protection (CBP) data.
DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas recently said the program is a "safe and orderly way to reach the United States" and has "led to a reduction in numbers of those nationalities."
"It is a key element of our efforts to address the unprecedented level of migration throughout our hemisphere, and other countries around the world see it as a model to tackle the challenge of increased irregular migration that they too are experiencing," Mayorkas said.
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The top 15 cities migrants flew into during the eight-month window are:
1) Miami, Florida: 91,821
2) Ft. Lauderdale, Florida: 60,461
3) New York City, New York: 14,827
4) Houston, Texas: 7,923
5) Orlando, Florida: 6,043
6) Los Angeles, California: 3,271
7) Tampa, Florida: 3,237
8) Dallas, Texas: 2,256
9) San Francisco, California: 2,052
10) Atlanta, Georgia: 1,796
11) Newark, New Jersey: 1,498
12) Washington, D.C.: 1,472
13) Chicago, Illinois: 496
14) Las Vegas, Nevada: 483
15) Austin, Texas: 171
DHS also revealed in the subpoena response that as of October 2023, there were about 1.6 million applicants waiting for DHS approval to fly to the U.S. via the parole program.
DHS said in its subpoena response, "All individuals paroled into the United States are, by definition, inadmissible, including those paroled under the CHNV processes."
Homeland Security Committee Chair Mark Green, argues that the program exceeds parole powers put in place by Congress. The authority is to be used on a "case-by-case basis for urgent humanitarian reasons or significant public benefit."
"These documents expose the egregious lengths Secretary Mayorkas will go to ensure inadmissible aliens reach every corner of the country, from Orlando and Atlanta to Las Vegas and San Francisco," he said in a statement. "Secretary Mayorkas’ CHNV parole program is an unlawful sleight of hand used to hide the worsening border crisis from the American people. Implementing a program that allows otherwise inadmissible aliens to fly directly into the U.S. — not for significant public benefit or urgent humanitarian reasons as the Immigration and Nationality Act mandates — has been proven an impeachable offense."
He then made reference to the House's efforts to impeach Mayorkas. The chamber impeached him, but the Senate has not held a trial on the articles.
"Following our subpoena and the House’s impeachment vote — especially in light of the Senate's complete failure to fulfill its duty to hold a trial — the Committee will not rest until this administration is finally held accountable for its open-borders agenda and its devastating impact on our homeland security," he said.
Green's arguments against the program have been echoed in a lawsuit by multiple states, who have sued to block the program. The 20 states argued that it "amounts to the creation of a new visa program that allows hundreds of thousands of aliens to enter the United States who otherwise have no basis for doing so."
The lawsuit was struck down by a district judge, but states have appealed. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration has repeatedly said it is confident the lawsuit will ultimately be successful.
"Biden's parole program is unlawful, and constitutes an abuse of constitutional authority. Florida is currently suing Biden to shut it down, and we believe that we will prevail," press secretary Jeremy Redfern told Fox News.
DHS has said that those who enter the U.S. under the program undergo and clear a "robust security vetting" as well as other eligibility criteria.
"These processes are publicly available online, and DHS has been providing regular updates on their use to the public. These processes are part of the administration’s strategy to combine expanded lawful pathways with stronger consequences to reduce irregular migration, and have kept hundreds of thousands of people from migrating irregularly," a spokesperson told Fox News Digital this month.