As concerns over Haitian immigration in north Alabama continue to grow, U.S. Rep. Dale Strong (R-Monrovia) is demanding answers from the Department of Homeland Security. Strong sent a letter to Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas laying out the issues cities in District 5 face.
“Communities in my district, like Athens, Alabama, are facing an influx of migrants who are overwhelming public resources and utilizing critical bed space in our regional emergency rooms,” Strong said. “During this time, my office has fielded hundreds of constituent concerns expressing this very sentiment.”
Strong blamed Mayorkas and the Biden administration for policies that resulted “in millions of migrants entering the United States.”
“Once provided parole, migrants are eligible for work permits and provided access to federally funded entitlement programs like Supplemental Social Security Income, Temporary Assistance to Needy Families, Medicaid, and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program,” Strong said, adding that the Biden Administration had specific parole programs Cuban, Haitian, Nicaraguan, and Venezuelan immigrants.
In July, DHS suspended a program that allowed Cuban, Haitian, Nicaraguan, and Venezuelan immigrants to fly into the U.S. due to fraud allegations, with social security numbers, addresses and other identification information reportedly being used hundreds of times, according to a Fox News report.
“A Committee on Homeland Security investigation into the Administration’s failure to implement immigration laws found that these programs alone have resulted in the mass release of more than 462,100 inadmissible aliens into the United States,” said Strong, who serves on the committee.
He asked Secretary Mayorkas to respond in writing to the following questions:
How many migrants have entered the United States under the Department of Homeland Security’s parole programs?
How many individual “U.S.-based supporters” are currently sponsoring migrants under the parole programs? What is the average number of migrants who are sponsored by each “U.S.-based supporter?”
What process does the Department use to ensure that the “U.S.-based supporter” continues to provide financial support to the migrant(s) throughout the length of their parole?
How many migrants granted parole have accessed federally funded entitlement programs?
What measures have been undertaken by DHS to enhance the ability of Immigration and Customs Enforcement to repatriate paroled nationals in cooperation with their home nation?
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