Last Friday, the public was shocked when the Biden-Harris administration confirmed that it had paused the Cuba-Haiti-Nicaragua-Venezuela Parole Program, also known as the CHNV program. The controversial program, created in January 2023, was shut down due to an internal report documenting extensive evidence of fraud, especially among individuals seeking to sponsor parolees. Through its network of sources, FAIR was able to get an exclusive copy of the report, which was classified as “law enforcement sensitive,” and provided a summary of its data and findings. Multiple media outlets such as Fox News and the New York Post shared our work with the American people.
The report details the alarming results of an internal review USCIS performed of thousands of sponsor applications for CHNV parole program “to identify patterns, trends, and potential fraud indicators.” The new and never disclosed internal report suggests massive fraud in the application process, and specifically, fraudulent information used in thousands of Forms I-134A, the paperwork a sponsor files with USCIS for each alien seeking parole through the CHNV program.
Here’s what we exposed:
- Applicants (sponsors) and parolees used fake Social Security Numbers (SSNs), including SSNs of deceased individuals.
- Applicants often did not provide their income (even though the sponsor is financially required to support the alien). Sponsors who did provide their income “often [did] not meet the financial threshold to support the number of parolees they intend to sponsor.”
- Applicants (sponsors) used fake phone numbers. One sponsor’s phone number was reported on over 2,000 forms submitted by 200 different sponsors.
- Many applications listed the same physical address. In fact, 100 addresses were listed on over 19,000 forms, and many parole applicants applied from a single property (including a mobile park home, warehouse, and storage unit).
- The same exact answers to Form I-134A questions were provided on hundreds of applications – in some instances, the same answer was used by over 10,000 applicants.
- Many applications were submitted by the same IP address, and many applicants used factious zip codes and A-numbers (which are generated by USCIS).
Speaker Johnson tweeted immediately, calling on the administration to shut down the program.
The White House responded by saying, “Any report of abuse of lawful processes is concerning and should be investigated thoroughly. The Biden-Harris Administration is committed to holding accountable individuals who commit fraud. We would refer you to DHS for additional information.”
It is unknown how many of the aliens seeking parole through CHNV and described in the report were approved for the benefit, and how the department adjudicated applications of sponsors who fabricated their applications. It also remains unclear if and how DHS is resolving the prevalence of fraud in the program. However, the Department responded to the news story by saying it takes fraud seriously and paused the program “out of an abundance of caution.”
Click here to read FAIR’s summary of the internal fraud report that we exclusively obtained.
