Fact check: President Trump claims 325,000 immigrants were ‘airlifted from unknown areas’

CNN
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Former President Donald Trump said in remarks Tuesday night that “325,000 people have been airlifted from unknown locations. Migrants were flown in instead of going through the border or the big barrier in Texas. ”

Facts first: This is misleading.

President Trump appeared to be citing a new report released by the Center for Immigration Studies, a think tank that supports curbs on immigration to the United States. In a March 4 article, Todd Bensman, a senior national security researcher at CIS, outlined information purportedly obtained through FOIA lawsuits, stating that U.S. Customs and Border Protection has detained 320,000 immigrants in one country. He said he had “approved the secret flight” that brought him to the airport. America last year.

However, CBP did not facilitate the flights, and the program for immigrants to enter the United States was public information and not a secret. The article also leaves out who is being flown into or into the United States: approved and vetted immigrants.

Migrants flying into and within the United States were allowed entry and thoroughly screened through CBP One, a mobile app that allows users to schedule asylum applications with border officials.

There are also several parole programs that allow individuals to enter and reside in the United States temporarily (usually for a year or less). These programs include family reunification, available by invitation only on a case-by-case basis, and a separate humanitarian parole program for migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela. After receiving approval, such immigrants may enter the United States through land ports of entry or by air, but are responsible for paying their own flight costs.

For example, CBP processed approximately 45,000 individuals through CBP One reservations at ports of entry in January, according to federal data.

Since the parole program for Cuban, Haitian, Nicaraguan and Venezuelan (CHNV) nationals was introduced over a year ago, more than 386,000 people of these nationalities have entered the country. In addition to the screening, persons entering the United States under that parole program are also required to have a sponsor in the United States. The purpose of this program is to prevent people from crossing the border illegally by providing a legal route into the United States.

It is unclear how the CIS arrived at the 320,000 figure, which the organization says is based on information obtained through litigation. According to the article, the government is characterizing the program as a family reunification program.

A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson told CNN: “More than 14 months ago, on January 5, 2023, DHS announced a process to clear certain Cubans, Haitians, and Nicaraguans with supporters in the United States through intensive security screening.” You must meet other eligibility criteria and enter the United States in a safe, orderly, and lawful manner. These processes built on the success of the process for Venezuelans. ”

“These processes are part of the government’s strategy to combine expanded legal routes with greater effectiveness in reducing illegal immigration, and have deterred hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants. CHNV. “The parole process is public. Claims of a secret program are false,” the spokesperson added.

According to the CIS article, disclosing information about the airports involved could create “operational vulnerabilities” for those airports, and that sharing operational details could expose the program to exploitation by “bad actors.” The government stated that the government had informed them that there was a possibility that Although the CIS article calls the government’s position “unconventional and newsworthy,” the government’s response is standard in investigations involving law enforcement.

Republicans have criticized the Biden administration’s parole system, saying the agency is making too broad a use of a parole system that has been used by many administrations.

The Biden administration has relied on parole in emergency situations, such as allowing Afghans to enter the country after the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan and Ukrainians after the Russian invasion, and has also allowed immigrants from designated countries to temporarily enter the country as a mitigation measure. may be allowed to live and work in the United States. A sharp rise at the border.