Biden administration announces parole process for migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, Venezuela

The Biden administration on Thursday announced that qualifying migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela will be able to qualify for temporary parole in the United States for up to two years. 

Migrants who "cannot establish a legal basis to remain will be removed or returned to Mexico, which will accept returns of 30,000 individuals per month," the Department of Homeland Security said. This policy already applied for Venezuelans, but is being expanded to include Cubans, Haitians and Nicaraguans. 

The process for migrants from the four countries to come to the United States will be "streamlined" so they do not have "to make the dangerous journey to the border," officials said. This will allow 30,000 people to be paroled into the United States each month for two years at a time, where they will be able to reside legally and work. The parole program is already in place for Venezuelans.

Migrants interested in living and working in the U.S. will be approved "on a case-by-case basis" and required to "pass rigorous biometric and biographic national security and public safety screening and vetting; have a supporter in the United States who commits to providing financial and other support; and complete vaccinations and other public health requirements," the agency said.

The new requirements come after U.S. Border Patrol Agents encountered a record of 2.4 million migrants last fiscal year.

President Joe Biden is expected to speak about border security on Thursday ahead of a planned visit to the border.