EXCLUSIVE — House Republicans are pressing the Biden administration to provide information about a government phone app that allowed immigrants outside the United States to apply for permission to fly into the U.S. to be screened for admission.
In a letter sent to President Joe Biden and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on Friday, 18 GOP lawmakers demanded information on the “advanced travel authorizations” program that has allowed immigrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela to enter the U.S.
“As federal representatives and citizens of this great nation, we hold a fundamental duty to ensure that the Executive Branch is not breaking the very laws it is charged to enforce. This is especially true when it comes to protecting Americans,” the letter, led by Rep. Randy Weber (R-TX), states. “No American should die because you refused to do your duty.”
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The Biden administration announced more than a year ago that it would admit up to 30,000 immigrants from such countries in total each month, and immigrants would be required to apply to fly into the U.S. for inspection, where only then they could potentially be paroled into the country.
Through the program, residents from those countries request “advance travel authorization” through the CBP One mobile app to take commercial flights “at their own expense” directly to U.S. airports. The app itself does not grant parole.
DHS provided figures to the Washington Examiner on Friday that revealed 386,000 Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans had arrived in the U.S. under this parole process as a result of using the CBP One app to request initial admission through February 2024. The 386,000 figure was on par with the 30,000-person monthly cap.
Lawmakers pointed to a report published by a conservative immigration group, the Center for Immigration Studies, which cited 320,000 people were admitted last year.
The letter accused CBP officials of “refusing” to provide information on “the departure airports used in those countries or the airports of arrival in the United States.”
“It is concerning to learn that there are unknown havens for illegal immigrants throughout the country and, even worse, to learn that your Administration refuses to name which communities must bear the burden you have created,” the letter stated. “This administration has shown total contempt for the rule of law, our national sovereignty, and the basic safety of the American people.”
Lawmakers demanded information from CBP be submitted by April 7.
Lawmakers listed 11 questions they want answered, including information on what congressional authority was used to establish an “advance travel authorization” mechanism. Additionally, lawmakers are demanding knowledge on which airports are being used as departure and arrival locations, as well as the country-of-origin breakdown for the immigrants being flown into the country.
Other questions include how the flights were paid for and what measures have been taken to prevent criminals or known terrorists from taking advantage of the system.
“Joe Biden and Alejandro Mayorkas are consistently sidestepping the rule of law to assist and guide unvetted illegal aliens into our communities, and now helping them to fly directly to American cities,” Weber told the Washington Examiner in a statement. “This poses not only a national security risk but also raises serious questions about this Administration. We will hold their feet to the fire and demand answers for the American people. Secretly flying unvetted illegal aliens into our cities at the expense of the basic safety of the American people has no place in America.”
DHS defended the program and said information is publicly available on its website, contrary to Republicans’ accusations that the Biden administration was hiding information.
“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 DHS spokesperson wrote in an email. “The CHNV parole processes are public; claims of a secret program are false.”
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DHS shorthands the program targeted at Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela as the “CHNV” parole process.
Seventeen Republicans have signed on as co-sponsors of Weber’s letter, including Reps. Byron Donalds (R-FL), Ralph Norman (R-SC), Diana Harshbarger (R-TN), Lance Gooden (R-TX), Ann Wagner (R-MO), Mary Miller (R-IL), Andy Ogles (R-TN), Troy Nehls (R-TX), Virginia Foxx (R-NC), Lauren Boebert (R-CO), Brian Babin (R-TX), Barry Moore (R-AL), Jeff Duncan (R-SC), William Timmons (R-SC), Gary Palmer (R-AL), John Carter (R-TX), and Bill Posey (R-FL).
