WASHINGTON — Republican members of the U.S. House Judiciary Committee held a tense hearing on Wednesday, challenging the head of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) agency responsible for managing legal immigration pathways. The focus was on the Biden administration’s parole program, which provides temporary protection for nationals from certain countries.
The parole program grants work permits and allows nationals from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela to stay in the U.S. if they have a sponsor in the country.
Rep. Tom McClintock of California, chair of the Subcommittee on Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement, accused U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) of creating “unlawful” immigration pathways through these humanitarian parole programs. These programs are based on powers that U.S. presidents have used since the 1950s.
Rep. Jim Jordan, the chair of the full Judiciary Committee, also pressed USCIS Director Ur Jaddou about whether parole programs of this scale had ever been used before.
Since President Joe Biden introduced the parole program in 2022, more than 500,000 people have been granted temporary status through this authority. Jaddou responded that presidents have historically used similar parole powers.
Rep. Pramila Jayapal, the top Democrat on the panel, defended the program. She criticized Republicans for attempting to limit legal immigration pathways, emphasizing that immigrants contribute significantly to the U.S. workforce. “The truth is that we benefit from the contributions of immigrants and their families in every single field of work,” she said.
Funding Issues at USCIS
USCIS, a $5 billion agency, is primarily funded by immigration-related filing fees, which make up 96% of its budget. The remaining 4% comes from congressional appropriations.
Jayapal defended USCIS, pointing out that the agency had to recover from a budget shortfall caused by the Trump administration and the pandemic, which temporarily closed offices and led to a decline in fees. The agency handles a wide range of services, including naturalization, green card applications, family visas, and humanitarian programs.
Jaddou explained that one of the main challenges faced by USCIS is its reliance on fee-based funding. If there is a funding crisis, it can freeze operations and limit the agency’s ability to hire and function efficiently. “We do not have effective legal immigration systems to meet the needs of the nation,” she said.
She also pointed out that funding limitations have restricted the number of asylum officers hired, which affects USCIS’s ability to carry out its humanitarian duties.
Concerns About Fraud
Rep. Andy Biggs of Arizona raised concerns about fraud in the parole program. He noted that the program had been temporarily paused for five weeks over the summer to investigate issues related to U.S.-based sponsors.
McClintock also pressed Jaddou about how many individuals granted parole had changed their immigration status or had their parole extended. Jaddou was unable to provide those figures, which frustrated McClintock. “This is outrageous,” he said, emphasizing that these questions were asked in September and should have been addressed by the time of the hearing.
Rep. Zoe Lofgren, a Democrat from California, asked what improvements had been made in response to the fraud investigations. Jaddou outlined measures taken by USCIS, including new biometric requirements, automated systems to cross-check Social Security numbers, and additional training for staff to detect potential fraud. “We saw some issues, we took action,” she said.
Backlogs and Delays
Rep. Jeff Van Drew, a Republican from New Jersey, expressed frustration over USCIS’s backlogs, particularly in processing green cards. “I think you’re doing a bad job,” he told Jaddou, accusing the agency of harming both legal immigrants and U.S. citizens while helping people who shouldn’t be in the country.
Van Drew also questioned whether USCIS had diverted resources from other legal immigration applications to focus on parole applicants. Jaddou insisted that the agency had not. Van Drew responded, “Well, I disagree with you.”
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