US Confirms Validity of Existing Parole Travel Approvals
US authorities clarify that they will resume admitting Humanitarian Parolees who arrive with valid travel permits issued before the program’s August 3rd suspension.
HAVANA TIMES -The United States confirmed it will allow approved beneficiaries of humanitarian parole to utilize their existing travel authorizations, reported 100% Noticias citing the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
On August 3rd, the unexpected announcement that the US was suspending their humanitarian parole program left those awaiting travel anguished and uncertain.
Beneficiaries of the program who had flights booked with American Airlines, Southwest, and other airlines were stranded on August 3rd at Cuban airports, when the airlines did not allow them to board the flights.
The authorities added that they are working with stakeholders, including airlines and sponsors, to resolve the issues that have arisen as soon as possible, and that they will continue to provide updates.
“As part of these efforts, some beneficiaries have been notified that the status of their Advance Travel Authorization (ATA) was revoked,” a spokesperson for the Department told 100% Noticias.
“People must have a valid ATA to travel to the United States under these processes. DHS is working to resume processing ATA applications with additional safeguards as soon as possible,” he added.
Immigration officials who spoke on condition of anonymity said that on Saturday the news caught them by surprise, and on that day they only processed beneficiaries of Haiti’s humanitarian parole, noted the CiberCuba website.
“Some [immigration] officers received the order to allow them to board the planes from their countries of origin, while others were told that the program was on hold and they should not be allowed to board,” the source said.
American Airlines, for its part, stated that “it continues to comply with the Administration’s Advance Travel Authorization Program, supporting customers entering the United States as part of this program.”
The clarifications from the authorities and the airlines are fundamental in guaranteeing a secure and orderly migration process.
Meanwhile, Cuban families who were unexpectedly affected by the decision announced on Friday expressed desperation. Many who had an approved permit but were prevented from traveling on Friday or Saturday are now wondering how their cases will be resolved, despite the latest statement by DHS.
Uncertainty also persists among Nicaraguan beneficiaries of the program, some of whom say they had their completed paperwork and tickets in hand when they received notice that their travel permits had been revoked.
Program suspended due to irregularities
The temporary suspension of the humanitarian parole program for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans was due to indications of widespread fraud.
According to an internal report from the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), an analysis of 2.6 million applications of which 529,000 were approved for the program revealed:
3,218 serial sponsors presented over 100,000 requests.
Over 19,000 applications used the same postal address.
Over 51,000 applications came from a single IP address.
These irregularities, which include false data, phantom sponsors, and non-existent addresses, led the authorities to take measures to protect the program’s integrity.
Thank you. This is the first understandable thing I have read about the situation.
Ok, so what should people do if travel authorization was revoked? Re apply? Will USCIS re-evaluate and respond? Appeal?