The Department of Homeland Security has provided further details on the U.S. administration’s new migration policy concerning asylum claims at the southern border and the humanitarian parole program commonly known as the Biden Program.
The program, which came into effect on June 5, will allow the U.S. government to remove asylum seekers who do not have a solid legal basis for their claims.
To avoid removal, immigrants will have to apply directly using the CBPOne application, according to Assistant Secretary Blas Nunez-Neto.
Immigrants violating this new migration policy will be swiftly deported, warned Blas Nunez-Neto, who informs that the administration will not hesitate to apply severe sanctions.
Mr. Nunez-Neto recalls that over 750,000 people were deported last year.
The new migration policy will not be limited to immigrants at the southern border of the United States. People seeking to enter the U.S. by sea will also be deported, according to U.S. authorities.
This new measure has been adopted due to the lack of resources to deal with the migratory flow to the United States, explained Mr. Nunez-Neto, who urges Haitians not to risk their lives or use contraband to try to enter the United States. “You will be intercepted and deported,” warns the American official. Violators will be banned from re-entering the U.S. for up to five years or face imprisonment, he warned.
Biden Program: More than 176,000 Haitians admitted to the U.S. to date
The Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security also provided details of the Humanitarian Speech Program, commonly known as the Biden Program.
Since the program’s inception, more than 435,000 people have been admitted to the United States. Haiti tops the list with over 176,000 people approved, revealed Blas Nunez-Neto, who also informed that seven other countries have been added to the program.
TPS: Extension and/or redesignation?
Asked about the letter from some sixty US congressmen to the Secretary of DHS requesting the redesignation of Temporary Protected Status for Haiti, Mr. Blas Nunez-Neto was unable to give further details.
Decisions on the extension and/or redesignation of TPS are made by the Secretary of Homeland Security on the recommendation of the State Department,” said Blas Nunez-Neto in a Zoom interview with Haitian journalists on Thursday.