US freezes migrant sponsorship program over fraud allegations; trial to resume after…

The Biden administration has hit one of its biggest obstacles in its efforts to manage the migration crisis. An initiative to provide a legal path to the United States for people from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela has been temporarily frozen amid alarming reports of fraud. The humanitarian program, which began in 2022, is now under official review, with authorities examining all procedures to identify any loopholes.

US suspends its humanitarian entry program

A special U.S. policy that allowed up to 30,000 migrants a month to fly into the country under the sponsorship of U.S. citizens is under scrutiny as officials investigate a spike in fraudulent applications, Fox News reports.

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In a statement to the news agency, the Department of Homeland Security confirmed that it had suspended the issuance of advance travel authorizations “out of an abundance of caution.” The policy was initially implemented to prevent illegal crossings of the U.S.-Mexico border and was later expanded in early 2023 to deter migrants from crisis-hit countries from reaching the U.S. southern border.

US Migrant Sponsorship Program Reports Fraud

The massive move was made in mid-July, according to a congressional source who spoke to Fox. The move comes after reports of suspected fraudulent activity revealed in applications from migrant sponsors. DHS says the hold is being put in place to review the entire process.

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“DHS has temporarily suspended the issuance of advanced travel authorizations for new beneficiaries until a review of supporter applications can be completed.”

When will the program resume?

According to an official statement from the department, “DHS will resume processing applications as quickly as possible, with appropriate safeguards in place.” The organization explained that the focus is on issues with documents submitted by supporters, not those reported by program beneficiaries themselves.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) first suspended the program sponsoring Venezuelans in July, before deciding to close it for Cubans, Haitians, and Nicaraguans as well.

DHS has controls in place to detect and prevent fraud and abuse in our immigration processes. DHS takes any abuse of its processes very seriously,” the spokesperson said. “If fraud is detected, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will investigate and prosecute the case in immigration court and file a criminal complaint with the Department of Justice.”