The Department of Homeland Security has announced that it will resume issuing travel authorization to migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela who apply to come to the United States with the help of a sponsor. The program had been paused in July due to concerns of potential fraud involving “serial sponsors.” Despite not completing the review of potentially fraudulent applications, DHS has decided to restart the program, citing its contribution to the reduction of illegal border crossings. Additional vetting procedures will be implemented to strengthen the integrity of the process, including scrutiny of sponsors’ financial records and criminal backgrounds, as well as a fingerprint requirement for all U.S.-based supporters.
Any sponsors found to be exploiting or abusing the process will not be confirmed, and those who have asked for payment from immigrants to be sponsored will be referred to law enforcement for potential prosecution. Concerns were raised early on about sponsors advertising online to sell their services to migrants from the specified countries. Despite these issues, DHS has not identified any concerns relating to the screening and vetting of program beneficiaries.
The internal review that prompted the pause on the program revealed instances of potential fraud, such as multiple applicants using the same addresses, phone numbers, and Social Security numbers. A small number of sponsors were found to have fraud or criminal issues, leading to referral to law enforcement. Overall, the majority of issues were found to have reasonable explanations, such as typographic errors.
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