Department of Homeland Security documents shared by the House Committee on Homeland Security this week indicate that most of the people who have come into the U.S. through a program launched last year have arrived in one state.
More than 150,000 Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans have been flown into Miami and Fort Lauderdale, Fla., according to a Tuesday press release from the committee. It said the documents were obtained through a subpoena.
Overall, the documents identified 50 airports where 400,000 were processed into the country. The committee characterized these people as “inadmissible aliens,” and the program as an “unlawful” parole program.
“The program was officially launched in January 2023, and the documents obtained by the Committee cover the period from January-August 2023 – accounting for roughly 200,000 of these individuals,” said the press release.
Last year the American Immigration Council said in a fact sheet that the intent of the program is to provide safe and orderly pathways to the U.S. It allows people from the target nations who have a sponsor in the U.S. and who pass a background check to come into the country for two years. They can live and work lawfully during that program through the “humanitarian parole” mechanism.
“The creation of this new parole program, however, was coupled with restricted access to asylum at the U.S./Mexico border for migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela,” said the AIC.
Per the House committee, encounters at ports of entry this fiscal year have increased by 44% compared to the first six months of Fiscal Year 2023, said the committee. It also said over half of all monthly encounters at ports of entry this fiscal year were from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela.”
Here is a list of the top 15 airports used for the CHNV program, according to the House committee:
1. Miami, Fla.: 91,821
2. Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.: 60,461
3. New York City, N.Y.: 14,827
4. Houston, Texas: 7,923
5. Orlando, Fla.: 6,043
6. Los Angeles, Calif.: 3,271
7. Tampa, Fla.: 3,237
8. Dallas, Texas: 2,256
9. San Francisco, Calif.: 2,052
10. Atlanta, Ga.: 1,796
11. Newark, N.J.: 1,498
12. Washington, D.C.: 1,472
13. Chicago, Ill.: 496
14. Las Vegas, Nev.: 483
15. Austin, Texas: 171
“These documents expose the egregious lengths Secretary Mayorkas will go to ensure inadmissible aliens reach every corner of the country, from Orlando and Atlanta to Las Vegas and San Francisco,” said committee Chairman Rep. Mark E. Green (R-Tenn.).
In February, Green and other Republican members of the House voted to impeach Mayorkas, who leads the Department of Homeland Security. CNN reported that the attempt fell flat in the Senate.
“The pair of votes, which split along partisan lines, swiftly killed a Senate trial that had only just begun, with Democrats and three independents voting to stop the process,” said the outlet. Though there have been concerns in the U.S. about a border crisis, data shows that immigration is driving growth in major U.S. cities and that it is expected to help keep the nation’s economy strong.
In Florida, where many of the immigrants entering the country through the CHNV program landed, Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis recently announced legislation to address illegal immigration in his state. Audacy has previously reported on the governor transporting immigrants out of his state, including two planes to Martha’s Vineyard in 2022.