Given the uncertain situation faced by many families who have been waiting for months after applying for the conditional stay of the humanitarian parole program, launched by the Biden administration last January, the United States Under Secretary of the National Security Blas Núñez-Neto in an interview on América TeVé, clarified many of the doubts of those who applied.

The program has been surrounded by criticism, among other things, for its operation and the order in which beneficiaries receive the answers.

"What we have announced is that every day half of the applications in process are processed in the order in which they were submitted. The other half is processed randomly [...] Someone who applied yesterday might be processed tomorrow, but someone who waited can be sure their application will be processed."

Currently, approximately 28,000 Cubans have been approved in the 2-year conditional stay program, 51,000 Venezuelans, 40,000 Haitians, 23,000 Nicaraguans.

Let's recall that in May 2023, more than 580,000 applications from Haitian applicants were awaiting processing, according to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), an agency of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

Regarding these differences in the number of beneficiaries, Núñez-Neto said "Before we made this change in May, applications were approved in the order in which they were received, and what you can see in the numbers, it's that the demand from the Haitian community was very strong in the first months, but now that we have the lottery, it seems to me that these figures are going to be more homogeneous in all the nations."

The official pointed out that people are opting for this legal route of emigration to the United States and not for illegal routes, which could cost them deportation from the country or jail.

"I keep telling friends in these four countries to wait, to be patient, to use this legal process which is much better than arriving illegally and probably being sent back to their country or to Mexico. and not being able to enter for more than five years."

He also warned about the scams that are linked to the program, recalling that it is a completely free process "The only cost that the person has to assume is the plane ticket for come to the United States. If someone wants to charge them to participate in the program, it is fraud..."

New Conditional Stay Program, conditions and steps to follow:

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-38566-haiti-flash-new-us-entry-program-for-haitian-migrants-conditions-and-steps-to-follow.html

See also :

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-39606-haiti-flash-conditional-stay-program-more-than-580-000-haitian-files-pending.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-39427-haiti-flash-conditional-stay-program-nearly-18-000-haitians-already-in-the-usa.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-38969-haiti-flash-conditional-stay-program-11-300-haitians-authorized-5-500-already-in-the-usa.html

SL/ HaitiLibre