EXCLUSIVE: Senators urge Biden-Harris administration to ‘immediately’ end immigration program that enables rape, murder and human trafficking

Sen. Ted Cruz is calling on the Departments of Justice and Homeland Security to immediately end a Democratic-led parole program, alleging it is rife with fraud and enables human trafficking and violent crimes including “sexual assault, rape and murder.”

In a letter sent Tuesday to Attorney General Merrick Garland and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, Cruz and his fellow senators call for an “immediate” end to the Cuba-Haiti-Nicaragua-Venezuela (CHNV) Parole Program, calling it “ineffective, unlawful, and dangerous.”

The senators also demand better border security and immigration enforcement, a comprehensive investigation into the program’s shortcomings and abuses, and a promise that future immigration policies will be subject to appropriate congressional investigation.

The Biden-Harris administration temporarily halted the CHNV Parole Program in mid-July “out of an abundance of caution” after severe backlash over the program, which allowed about 520,000 illegal aliens to enter the United States by air.

Yet DHS resumed the program after a pause of less than six weeks, the senators wrote in their letter to Garland and Mayorkas, noting that DHS had merely imposed new requirements for those seeking to sponsor illegal aliens to provide fingerprints.

“These temporary, marginal fixes and platitudes to improve the program do not address the fundamental fraud, failure, and illegality of the CHNV program,” the senators wrote. “This fundamentally flawed program must be permanently dismantled, and steps must be taken to ensure that future immigration policies are both lawful and effective.”

Former U.S. President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump (2L) speaks about immigration and border security at Coronado National Memorial in Montezuma Pass, Arizona, August 22, 2024. (Photo by OLIVIER TOURON/AFP via Getty Images)

DHS pulled the plug on the program in July after an audit found that many of the program’s sponsors lied about their relationships with immigrants seeking U.S. residency, The Daily Wire reported. Luke Rosiak reported on August 20. Many sponsors pretended to be family members or friends while exploiting migrants.

The Democratic Party still quotes the program as his main plan for “expanding legal immigration and discouraging illegal immigration.”

Cruz and his fellow senators argue that the CHNV Parole Program violates existing law. Section 212(d)(5) of the Immigration and Nationality Act provides that parole may be granted only on a case-by-case basis for “substantial public interest or compelling humanitarian need.”

“By instituting a categorical program based on nationality, the Biden administration has created a parallel immigration system without congressional approval,” the senators wrote.

The senators also warned DHS and DOJ that the program has “general oversight failures” and does not properly vet applicants, allowing for fraudulent applications.

“There are many cases of crimes, such as sexual abuse, rape and murder, committed by CHNV participants.”

The program is rife with widespread fraud, the senators continued, citing an internal Homeland Security report that found 100,948 forms were submitted by 3,218 sponsors who often did not provide their income or did not meet the financial threshold needed to support the number of releasees they were asking to sponsor. The report also cited numerous instances of false phone numbers and addresses and identical false information, “suggesting a coordinated effort to abuse the program.”

“Scammers are asking for up to $5,000 for sponsorship, underscoring the program’s vulnerability to exploitation by traffickers and other malicious actors,” the senators wrote.

Given that the United States has “limited diplomatic relations with Cuba, Venezuela, and Nicaragua” and that Haiti has no functioning government, the senators also expressed concern that the program has exposed the United States to serious national security risks.

“This unprecedented surge has overwhelmed our border enforcement resources and exacerbated the risks associated with inadequate immigration enforcement,” they wrote. “Given these serious concerns, it is clear that the CHNV Parole Program represents a profound failure of policy and governance. The program has not only facilitated widespread fraud, but has also exposed serious vulnerabilities in our immigration system, resulting in serious consequences for public safety.”

Supporters of former U.S. President and 2024 presidential candidate Donald Trump hold images of Laken Riley before he speaks at a “Get Out the Vote” rally in Rome, Georgia, on March 9, 2024. Riley, a nursing student, has become the face of immigration reform after she was murdered by an illegal alien. (Photo by ELIJAH NOUVELAGE/AFP via Getty Images)

The lawmakers also note that the program has been linked to a significant increase in Venezuelans entering the United States, amid a “disturbing rise in crime” — including violent Venezuelan gangs operating in the country and linked to drug trafficking, extortion and violent attacks.

One such Venezuelan illegal alien has been charged in the brutal murder of Laken Riley, a 22-year-old nursing student from Georgia. Her killer has ties to the Tren de Aragua gang.

“The design of the CHNV program, which allows for mass entry without thorough individual screening, has made it easier for criminal elements to abuse the system and infiltrate the interior of the United States,” the letter said. “Combined with the current border crisis, the CHNV program not only poses a direct threat to public safety, but also strains law enforcement resources as they work to address rising crime rates associated with an influx of inadequately screened aliens.”

The Justice Department and DHS did not immediately respond to requests for comment from The Daily Wire.