The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has adopted a program for certain nationals of Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela to come to the U.S. for “a temporary period of parole for up to two years for urgent humanitarian reasons or significant public benefit.”[1]
Requirements for Such Parole
The requirements for such “foreign nationals” are the following:
- They “are outside the United States and lack U.S. entry documents;”
- “They have a [financial] supporter in the United States . . . who agrees to provide them with financial support for the duration of their parole in the United States;”
- They “undergo and clear robust security vetting;”
- They “meet other eligibility criteria;” and
- They “warrant a favorable exercise of discretion.”
According to the U.S. Department, “Case processing times vary. USCIS and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) are reviewing and processing cases as thoroughly and efficiently as possible. The U.S. government will provide advance travel authorization for up to 30,000 noncitizens to come to the United States each month to seek parole on a case-by-case basis under these processes.”
“Due to high interest in these processes, we are updating this process because the number of supporters who have submitted Form I-134A is significantly higher than the 30,000 monthly advance travel authorizations available. It is intended to maintain a fair, equitably balanced, and available pathway for all beneficiaries of a Form I-134A to move forward through the review process and seek travel authorization.”
“Under the new review process, we will randomly select about half of the monthly total of Forms I-134A, regardless of filing date, from the entire pending workload to review. We will review the other half of the monthly total based on when the case was submitted under the first-in, first-out method, which prioritizes the oldest Forms I-134A for review.”
“During the process, several steps must be completed, including robust security vetting, which will depend on action taken by potential supporters and beneficiaries. In the initial part of the process, we will review and provide responses to the potential supporter’s Form I-134A as quickly as possible. Once we confirm the Form I-134A, we will contact the beneficiary via email with instructions on how to create a USCIS online account and add their case. In the online account, the beneficiary reviews their biographical information and completes the necessary attestations (including attestations for eligibility and vaccine requirements) for themselves and travel group members and submits the information to CBP.”
“The beneficiary must also take and submit their photo within the CBP One mobile app. After they submit their photo, the process transitions to CBP. CBP will vet available biographic information and the facial photograph to determine whether to authorize the beneficiary’s travel to the United States to seek parole. CBP will then send the travel authorization determination to USCIS to post it to the beneficiary’s USCIS online account. If CBP approves the travel authorization, the beneficiary is responsible for arranging and funding their own airline travel to the United States. If CBP approves travel authorization, it is generally valid for 90 days.”
Current Status of Cuban Applications for Such Parole[2]
Through the end of April 2024, 95,500 Cubans had been granted such parole, and 91,100 already have traveled to the U.S. on such parole.
However, there already are many more such Cuban applications, and on May 26, 2024, there was a demonstration in Miami by Cuban American families protesting the long periods of time for U.S. government action on such pending applications. In addition, in the first quarter of 2024, 10,446 Cuban irregular immigrants were intercepted in Mexico and returned to Cuba.
Conclusion
As always, comments with corrections and amplifications are always welcome.
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[1] U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services, Processes for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans; U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services, Frequently Asked Questions About the Processes for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans.
[2] Cuban families ask in Miami for the acceleration of humanitarian parole process, Diario de Cuba (May 27, 2024).