DHS Announces New Processes Through Which Caribbean Migrants May Request to Stay in the US

WASHINGTON, DC – The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has announced processes through which nationals of Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela, and their immediate family members, may request to come to the United States in “a safe and orderly way.”

“Qualified beneficiaries who are outside the United States and lack US entry documents may be considered, on a case-by-case basis, for advanced authorization to travel and a temporary period of parole for up to two years for urgent humanitarian reasons or significant public benefit,” said DHS in a statement.

DHS said to participate in the process, eligible beneficiaries must have a supporter in the United States; undergo and clear robust security vetting; meet other eligibility criteria; and warrant a favorable exercise of discretion.

“Individuals participating in these processes must have a supporter in the United States who agrees to provide them with financial support for the duration of their parole in the United States,” DHS said.

It said the first step in the process is for the US-based supporter to file a Form I-134A, Online Request to be a Supporter and Declaration of Financial Support, with the United States Customs and Immigration Services (USCIS) for each beneficiary they seek to support, including minor children.

DHS said the US government will then review the supporter information provided “to ensure that they are able to financially support the beneficiaries they are agreeing to support.”

It said access to the processes is free, stating that neither the US-based supporter nor the beneficiary is required to pay the US government a fee to file the Form I-134A, be considered for travel authorization, or parole.

“Beware of any scams or potential exploitation by anyone who asks for money associated with participation in this process,” DHS warned.

Amid heightened concern over plans by the Joe Biden administration to limit migrants from the Caribbean and other places, the administration last month launched a new private sponsorship program that will enable Americans to sponsor refugees arriving through the US Refugee Admissions Programme (USRAP).

Washington launched the Welcome Corps that would directly support refugees’ resettlement and “make a difference by welcoming these new neighbors into their communities.”

“This program invites Americans to be partners and guides to refugees, as they build new lives in the United States and help them realize their full potential,” said Blinken in a statement. “The Welcome Corps is the boldest innovation in refugee resettlement in four decades.

Blinken’s announcement came as Caribbean American Democratic Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke and the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk denounced plans by the Biden administration to restrict migrants from the Caribbean and other places.

Earlier, the Biden administration announced that it was limiting migrants from Cuba, Nicaragua, Venezuela and Haiti who enter the US to 30,0000 each month under humanitarian parole, while expelling those who attempt to cross the southwestern border.

“As the daughter of immigrants and a woman who has dedicated her life towards securing their fair and equitable access to the American dream, I have long pursued reform in a desperately out-of-date immigration system,” Clarke, whose parents hail from Jamaica, told the Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC).