Blaze News original: Biden-Harris immigration policy shell game — more 'lawful pathways' and less enforcement



One of the first orders of business for President Joe Biden (D) when he took office was to immediately undo former President Donald Trump's immigration policies, which included halting construction of the border wall. In fact, within his first year, Biden took nearly 300 immigration-related executive actions that have ultimately led to the nation's current unprecedented immigration crisis.

Perhaps even more damaging than leaving the nation's doors open to illegal immigration, Biden, along with his vice president and now the Democratic presidential nominee, Kamala Harris, spent the past three and a half years using the administration's executive powers to circumvent Congress and rapidly expand "lawful pathways," including parole programs, Temporary Protected Status, and the CBP One app.

The Biden-Harris administration has rolled out these executive actions under the guise of curbing illegal crossings by incentivizing foreign nationals to pursue so-called legal routes instead. However, while their measures may have slightly reduced southern border encounter numbers in recent months, they have ramped up questionably legal immigration nationwide.

As far as the current administration is concerned, these expanded immigration pathways have granted millions of foreign nationals legal status in the U.S.

However, with election season in full swing and immigration a top concern for a vast number of voters, the Biden-Harris turned Harris-Walz campaign is attempting to appear more moderate on immigration issues and distancing itself from its self-inflicted crisis by, among other things, touting its lowered border encounter stats while glossing over how its expanded pathways have allowed millions of lightly vetted foreign nationals to enter the country.

Background on pathway expansion

Until May 2023, Title 42 allowed the federal government to quickly expel illegal immigrants who had recently been in a country where COVID-19 was present. With the expulsion program set to end, the administration anticipated a significant spike in border crossings. As a way to mitigate that increase and "discourage irregular migration," the Biden-Harris administration's Department of Homeland Security and Department of Justice issued "a final rule to incentivize the use of lawful pathways."

The administration sold its expanded pathways firstly as a "lawful" process that encouraged "safe" and "orderly" immigration into the U.S.

With the number of illegal border crossings over the first three years of Biden's presidency exceeding nine million, the expanded pathway measures provided ways for the administration to continue allowing foreign nationals to enter the country in large numbers while potentially reducing eye-popping encounter stats at the southwest border.

'CHNV program, which allows inadmissible Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans to fly in.'

In the summer of 2023, the Biden-Harris administration listed the ways it planned to increase so-called legal migration, including by "establishing country-specific and other available processes to seek parole for urgent humanitarian reasons or significant public benefit; expanding opportunities to enter for seasonal employment; putting in place a mechanism for migrants to schedule a time and place to arrive in a safe, orderly, and lawful manner at ports of entry via use of the CBP One mobile app; and expanding refugee processing in the Western Hemisphere."

Jessica Vaughan, the director of policy studies for the Center for Immigration Studies, told Blaze News, "The most consequential, and unlawful, 'lawful pathway' used by the Biden administration has been the use of parole to allow about 5 million inadmissible migrants into the country who would not otherwise qualify either for asylum or a legal visa."

She noted that the administration's pathways have "taken several forms," including "catch-and-release at the border, the CBP One app to enable unqualified people from anywhere in the world to make an appointment to cross the border, and the CHNV program, which allows inadmissible Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans to fly in and settle where ever they like, and in the case of the Cubans and Haitians, immediately apply for welfare programs and enroll their kids in public schools at taxpayer expense."

CBP One mobile app

The Biden-Harris administration has significantly expanded Customs and Border Protection's CBP One application, which allows foreign nationals located in certain parts of Mexico to schedule an appointment at a port of entry to make an asylum claim. The catch-and-release policies under the current administration mean that applicants undergo a quick and abbreviated vetting process before they are released into the interior of the U.S. and provided with years-out court dates to later review the legitimacy of their asylum claims.

Under the Biden-Harris leadership, the mobile app has expanded eligibility territory, allowing foreign nationals to apply from Northern, Central, and some parts of Southern Mexico, thereby incentivizing individuals worldwide to travel to Mexico to schedule an appointment. CBP schedules 1,450 appointments per day.

A recent report from the DHS' Office of Inspector General revealed that the application lacks some capabilities to assist with vetting foreign nationals.

The application's limited vetting ability, coupled with overwhelmed federal immigration agents at the border forced to expedite the release of those requesting asylum, has allowed gang members and criminals to enter the country.

In just one recent example, two young men suspected to be members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua were recently busted in Aurora, Colorado, for alleged ties to a shooting. According to reports, the men used the CBP One app to enter the U.S. in August.

The CHNV pathway

The administration's CHNV program allows 30,000 individuals per month from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela to immigrate to the U.S. and receive a two-year work permit. It is worth noting that CHNV beneficiaries are being flown into the U.S. not necessarily from their country of origin. In fact, the CIS discovered that individuals have been flown from 77 countries into 45 international U.S. airports.

In recent weeks, the program has stirred up a firestorm of controversy after a report by the Fraud Detection and National Security Directorate uncovered fraud among sponsors' applications. Foreign national beneficiaries must have a U.S.-based sponsor, also called a supporter — individual or entity — to be eligible for the program.

'The president and his border czar play a massive shell game.'

Those currently in the country on Temporary Protected Status or asylum can serve as supporters to CHNV beneficiaries, according to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services' website. In other words, beneficiaries do not require an American citizen sponsor to enter the country through this program, leaving it vulnerable to exploitation and abuse.

The report found that some supporters had used the same Social Security numbers, addresses, and phone numbers hundreds of times. Additionally, approximately 3,000 sponsors had filed more than 100,000 forms. Some of those forms included phone numbers belonging to deceased individuals, addresses of storage units, and fake zip codes.

While news of the discovered fraud did not break until early August, the DHS reportedly paused the CHNV program in mid-July while investigating the findings.

Roughly a month and a half later, the Biden-Harris administration announced that it was rebooting the program, with the DHS claiming that it would conduct "additional vetting" of sponsors moving forward.

House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Mark Green (R-Tenn.) urged the federal government to end the "clearly flawed" and "unlawful" program.

"The CHNV program, along with the use of the CBP One app at the Southwest border, has helped the president and his border czar play a massive shell game, encouraging otherwise inadmissible aliens to simply cross at ports of entry instead of between them," he stated following the administration's announcement.

A group of senators led by Ted Cruz (R-Texas) recently penned a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland and DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas also calling for the program's termination.

Cruz accused the DHS of continuing the program after implementing "stop-gap marginal improvements" that would not "solve the fundamental fraud, failure, and illegality of the CHNV program."

"This fundamentally flawed program must be permanently dismantled. The program has not only facilitated widespread fraud, but has also exposed serious vulnerabilities in our immigration system, leading to dire consequences for public safety. The tragic sexual assault and murder of 12-year-old Jocelyn Nungaray by two Venezuelan illegal aliens indicates the dangers posed by the Biden-Harris administration's immigration policies," Cruz wrote in the letter.

The senators linked the CHNV program and the administration's expansion of TPS for Venezuelans to the "troubling rise in crime" and the increased presence of Tren de Aragua, a Venezuelan gang now operating in some areas of the U.S.

Furthermore, they accused the Biden-Harris administration of "creat[ing] a parallel immigration system without congressional approval."

'Keeping Families Together' program

In addition to implementing more pathways for foreign nationals to enter the U.S., the Biden-Harris administration has also promoted mass amnesty processes for those already in the country seeking permanent legal status.

The DHS announced the "Keeping Families Together" program in mid-August, calling it "a step toward ... Biden's commitment to promoting family unity in the immigration system."

If permitted to move forward, it would allow some illegal immigrants to "request parole in place under existing statutory authority." Those eligible for the program include spouses and stepchildren of American citizens. Spousal applicants must have lived in the U.S. since June 2014 and have been married to a citizen since June 2024. Stepchildren applicants must be under 21 years old and unmarried, have resided in the country since June 2024, and have an illegal alien parent married to a citizen.

'The Biden-Harris-Mayorkas schemes were deliberately created to circumvent the immigration laws.'

As part of the program, eligible individuals would be granted parole in place, allowing them to remain in the country while they request an adjustment of status.

USCIS' website states, "If granted parole, and if otherwise eligible, these noncitizens may apply for adjustment of status to that of a lawful permanent resident without being required to leave the United States and be processed by a U.S. consulate overseas."

"DHS estimates that 500,000 noncitizen spouses of U.S. citizens could be eligible to access Keeping Families Together; on average, these noncitizens have resided in the United States for 23 years," it continues. "In addition, approximately 50,000 noncitizen stepchildren of U.S. citizens are estimated to be eligible to seek parole under Keeping Families Together."

Critics have called it a mass amnesty program.

Shortly after it was announced, 16 Republican-led states filed a lawsuit against the Biden-Harris administration to prevent the program from moving forward. The complaint claimed that the administration's estimate that it would extend legal status to up to 550,000 illegal aliens is "likely a significant underestimate," arguing that the number could be as high as 1.3 million.

The lawsuit, filed in partnership with America First Legal, read, "DHS has announced the creation of a program that effectively provides a new pathway to a green card and eventual citizenship ... to circumvent the process established by Congress to apply for permanent residency."

It stated, "This action incentivizes illegal immigration and will irreparably harm the Plaintiff States," which included Texas, Idaho, Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, North Dakota, Ohio, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, and Wyoming.

In response to the suit, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas granted a stay order, preventing the federal government from implementing the program at least until September 23 while the case is pending.

USCIS noted that it is still accepting applications for its "Keeping Families Together" program, including scheduling biometric appointments for applicants, but it is not currently granting any parole-in-place requests due to the ongoing lawsuit.

Final thoughts

The most troubling aspect of the Biden-Harris administration's open-borders policies has been the limited vetting processes that have allowed criminals from all over the world to slip into the country.

"Besides the huge expense to taxpayers, there is a human cost as well, as some of these individuals are violent gang members, deviants, and human traffickers, and they have caused incalculable harm in a number of communities around the country, from New York City to Aurora, Colorado, to Springfield, Ohio, to Nashville, Tennessee," Vaughan told Blaze News.

Despite the federal government's claims that every foreign national granted asylum or other form of parole has been thoroughly vetted, law enforcement officials' ability to access an individual's criminal background is extremely limited.

Immigration officials tasked with performing background checks on foreign nationals making asylum claims at the border are limited to U.S.-based background checks and Interpol.

Vaughan explained, "There is no meaningful vetting process. The only vetting that the immigration officers can do is to check if the migrant has a record here in the United States, and most of them have never been here before. We have next to no information on their background."

Vaughan confirmed to Blaze News that potential lawsuits against the administration's expanded pathways could have legal standing.

"The Biden-Harris-Mayorkas schemes were deliberately created to circumvent the immigration laws as Congress wrote them, and especially the numerical limits," she said. "The law explicitly prohibits using parole to allow defined categories of migrants to enter without a visa or after crossing illegally; it is permissible only on a case-by-case individual basis and only if it can be justified as a significant public benefit."

The administration's expanded pathways and asylum programs refer to 8 U.S.C. § 1182(d)(5), which states that the attorney general may "parole" a foreign national into the country "temporarily" but "only on a case-by-case basis for urgent humanitarian reasons or significant public benefit." However, it notes, "Such parole of such alien shall not be regarded as an admission of the alien and when the purposes of such parole shall, in the opinion of the Attorney General, have been served the alien shall forthwith return or be returned to the custody from which he was paroled and thereafter his case shall continue to be dealt with in the same manner as that of any other applicant for admission to the United States."

Vaughan noted, "A lot of people are asking what possible public benefit has come from these policies, especially the families of people harmed by illegal migrants, or taxpayers seeing their hard-earned money spent on hotel rooms, Uber rides, pizza dinners, health care, schooling, and sometimes prosecution and incarceration of people who have no interest and no prospect of contributing to their community."

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Lebanese nationals in US for laughably short length of time may get temporary protected status: Biden-Harris DHS



Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas announced on Thursday that the Biden-Harris administration has granted Temporary Protected Status to Lebanese nationals currently in the United States. The DHS cited "ongoing armed conflict and extraordinary and temporary conditions" that it claims prevents nationals from returning to their home country safely.

"The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is announcing new actions to provide temporary immigration reprieve to eligible Lebanese nationals currently in the United States and allowing them the opportunity to request work authorization," the DHS wrote. "Included in today's announcement are details related to the Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) for Lebanese nationals as previously announced in July, and a planned new Temporary Protected Status (TPS) designation for Lebanon."

'11,000 Lebanese nationals will likely be eligible.'

The announcement from the administration comes after Hezbollah, an Iran-backed terror group operating in Lebanon, had launched thousands of rockets into Israel. Earlier this month, Israel started responding to those attacks with "limited, localized and targeted ground raids."

"Those approved for TPS will be able to remain in the country while the United States is in discussions to achieve a diplomatic resolution for lasting stability and security across the Israel-Lebanon border," the DHS wrote in its Thursday press release.

Lebanese nationals granted TPS status will be protected from deportation for 18 months and be eligible to obtain work authorization for the duration of their stay.

The administration also stated that the program would be available to "individuals having no nationality who last habitually resided in Lebanon."

To be eligible, individuals must have been "continuously residing in the United States since October 16, 2024."

In addition to the TPS program, the DHS also announced "a Special Student Relief Notice for F-1 nonimmigrant students whose country of citizenship is Lebanon." Eligible student will be able to request work authorization, work more hours, and reduce their coursework while maintaining F-1 status.

The DHS estimates that "11,000 Lebanese nationals will likely be eligible" will be eligible for the protections.

The Biden-Harris administration has come under fire for its use of TPS, previously opening the program to nationals from a number of countries, including Haiti, Venezuela, Syria, and Ukraine.

Earlier this year, the administration announced that it was extending TPS for Haitian nationals, allowing more than 300,000 individuals to remain in the country even longer — until February 2026. Venezuelan nationals in the U.S. under TPS are protected from any deportation efforts until well into 2025.

The Biden-Harris administration attempted to appear tougher on immigration early this month by stating that it does not plan to extend temporary legal status to the over 500,000 immigrants who entered the country through its controversial and questionably legal CHNV, Blaze News previously reported. The program has allowed 30,000 individuals per month from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela to immigrate to the country.

However, just because the temporary legal status under this specific program will not be extended does not mean the foreign nationals will be forced to leave the country. In fact, Haitian and Venezuelan nationals may be eligible to remain under the current TPS program.

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Biden won't extend controversial mass immigration program — Rep. Green dismisses move as 'another optics-driven smokescreen'



The Biden-Harris administration decided not to extend temporary legal status for the more than 500,000 immigrants who entered the country through its CHNV program, the Department of Homeland Security stated Friday.

The CHNV program allows 30,000 individuals per month from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela to immigrate to the United States. The program provides beneficiaries with temporary legal status and a work permit for a two-year period.

'Hard to believe the Biden-Harris administration has a plan to remove.'

On Friday, the DHS confirmed that the Biden-Harris administration will not extend temporary legal status beyond the two years. Instead, beneficiaries will have to apply for another program to legally remain in the country.

Immigrants from Haiti who arrived in the U.S. before June and those from Venezuela who arrived before July 2023 can apply for Temporary Protected Status to avoid removal orders.

A DHS spokesperson told Fox News Digital, "As initially stated in the Federal Register notices, a grant of parole under these processes was for a temporary period of up to two years. This two-year period was intended to enable individuals to seek humanitarian relief or other immigration benefits for which they may be eligible, and to work and contribute to the United States."

"Those who do not have pending immigration benefits or who have not been granted an immigration benefit during their two-year parole period will need to depart the United States prior to the expiration of their authorized parole period or may be placed in removal proceedings after the period of parole expires," the statement continued.

As of the end of August, nearly 530,000 individuals from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela entered the U.S. on the program.

Representative Mark Green (R-Tennessee) told the New York Post that the administration's decision not to extend the program was "yet another optics-driven smokescreen" to appear tougher on immigration heading into the November election.

"There are numerous other ways these inadmissible aliens could be — and likely will be — allowed to stay, including through applying for asylum or Temporary Protected Status," Green stated. "Even if they don't, however, given ICE's [Immigration and Customs Enforcement's] low enforcement rates under this administration, most simply will not be priorities for removal."

The controversial mass immigration program, largely opposed by Republicans, came under fire after a Fraud Detection and National Security Directorate report discovered fraud. As a result, the Department of Homeland Security paused CHNV in mid-July "out of an abundance of caution." However, the program was restarted weeks later after the department said it would implement "additional vetting."

"Remember, a recent DHS Inspector General report found that the Biden-Harris administration still has no plan to remove the 77,000 Afghan nationals who were paroled in 2021 and 2022, and no effective process for monitoring parole expiration," Green told the Post. "So, it is hard to believe the Biden-Harris administration has a plan to remove a far greater number of inadmissible Cuban, Haitian, Nicaraguan, and Venezuelan nationals paroled into the country at their direction."

Last month, a group of senators, led by Ted Cruz (R-Texas), sent a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland and DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas demanding the "fundamentally-flawed" program be terminated, Blaze News previously reported. The senators called the administration's program "ineffective, unlawful, and hazardous."

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Blaze News investigates: Tren de Aragua exploits Colorado's sanctuary policies amid legal firestorm



While the Biden-Harris administration's open border policies have allowed waves of illegal immigrants to resettle in the United States, Colorado's sanctuary policies brought the immigration crisis "right to the doorsteps of communities in the front range," Castle Rock Town Council Member Max Brooks (R) told Blaze News.

Sanctuary policies, including those in Colorado, have prevented local law enforcement officials from cooperating with federal immigration agents, effectively protecting illegal immigrants — including those who have committed crimes after entering the U.S. — by creating massive roadblocks for Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers seeking to detain and deport them. These restrictions have made ICE's work far more dangerous, time-consuming, and expensive.

The state's and Denver's sanctuary policies have acted as magnets for illegal immigrants pouring into the country under the leadership of the Biden-Harris administration, and multiple counties and surrounding municipalities have had enough of dealing with the fallout.

One of the most concerning aspects of the immigration spillover effect happening around the Denver area is the potential spread of the vicious Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua.

TDA heads to Aurora

TDA, a former prison gang that got its start as a railroad labor union in Aragua, Venezuela, has grown into a transnational crime syndicate that has successfully made its way into the U.S. in unknown numbers.

While the Biden-Harris administration maintains that foreign nationals coming into the country are required to undergo advanced vetting processes, the evidence says otherwise.

‘There are several buildings’ that have ‘fallen to these Venezuelan gangs.’

Despite the Venezuelan government's refusal to share its criminal database information with the U.S., the administration launched the CHNV program, which allows 30,000 individuals from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela to enter the country each month.

The federal government also extended Temporary Protected Status to Venezuelan nationals on the basis that they cannot "safely" return to their country of origin, citing "a severe humanitarian emergency due to a political and economic crisis, as well as human rights violations and abuses and high levels of crime and violence, that impacts access to food, medicine, healthcare, water, electricity, and fuel, and has led to high levels of poverty," according a Federal Register notice.

It also noted that the country has "experienced heavy rainfall" in 2023 that caused flooding and landslides — issues that the federal government claimed "contribute to the country's existing challenges."

According to the notice, one of the reasons for granting TPS status to Venezuelan nationals is because the country has the "highest rates of violent deaths in the world," in large part due to "organized gangs."

Meanwhile, these federal programs and the administration's catch-and-release policies at the border have allowed millions of Venezuelans to take up residence in the U.S. Even more concerning, vetting of these individuals is limited to U.S. crime databases and INTERPOL.

As a result, TDA has been able to expand its influence into America, and more specifically, appearing to congregate in sanctuary jurisdictions that will further protect its gang members from any of the federal government's deportation efforts.

The immigration crisis' impact on Aurora, which is not a sanctuary city, received national attention after reports that TDA gangbangers were taking over several apartment complexes. Some local officials initially denied the claims that TDA had gained a foothold in the area, but in August, a surveillance video showed armed men storming through an Aurora apartment complex, Blaze News previously reported.

The video evidence further ignited fears that TDA had conquered parts of the city.

The footage captured five men, four carrying firearms, banging on the door of a residence at the Edge of Lowry. A separate video taken of the same apartment but at a presumably earlier time showed a man taking a hammer to the door's deadbolt lock.

A couple who were former residents at the complex told KDVR that living at the property had turned into "a nightmare" for them, stating that their vehicle was riddled with bullet holes from a shootout that had occurred earlier the same month.

The couple thanked Aurora City Council member Danielle Jurinsky for helping them move out of the complex, which they stated had become home to TDA gang members.

Jurinsky told KDVR at the time that nonprofit organizations in the city had "lined up" to assist the new immigrant arrivals, "but nobody is helping the Americans that are trapped in these apartment complexes."

Aurora Police Chief Todd Chamberlain initially claimed that the investigation into the incident did not find any gang ties.

"There's a lot of limitations, a lot of rules, a lot of regulations that relate to identifying someone as a specific gang member or an affiliate of a gang," Chamberlain explained. "Many of these individuals we're talking about come from a country which does not have a strong relationship with the United States, come from a country that does not have a database that they are going to share."

Despite some local leaders' denial of the gang's influence, Jurinsky insisted that TDA gangbangers had taken over some apartment complexes in the Aurora area.

"In the entire Denver metro area, it has been like pulling teeth to get anyone, the media, other elected officials, to get anyone to acknowledge the presence of this trend and to acknowledge that there is even a problem," she told Fox News Digital shortly after the video went viral.

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis (D) outright rejected allegations that TDA gang members had gained a foothold in areas of the state despite the Aurora Police Department forming a special task force to address the gang's presence.

He accused Jurinsky of making claims about TDA created largely out of her own "imagination."

Shelby Wieman, a spokesperson for Polis, told the New York Post, "The governor has already let the mayor know that the state is ready to support the local police department with assistance from state troopers and the Colorado Bureau of Investigation if needed."

"But according to police intelligence, this purported invasion is largely a feature of Danielle Jurinsky's imagination," Wieman said.

While Polis essentially rejected the claims, Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman (R) acknowledged that "there are several buildings" that have "fallen to these Venezuelan gangs."

As the weeks passed, the truth about the Edge at Lowry complex and others in the surrounding area started to surface.

A month after the viral surveillance video was released, law enforcement sources revealed to the New York Post that one of the three men arrested in connection with the incident admitted to being a TDA gang member.

Niefred Serpa-Acosta, 20, allegedly told ICE officers that he was affiliated with the gang. He also reportedly has crown tattoos, a symbol frequently associated with TDA.

‘Sanctuary policy does not protect lawful immigrants or United States citizens it only protects criminals.’

All three of the arrested suspects have collected lengthy rap sheets during their time in Colorado, sources told the Post. According to KCNC-TV, approximately 10 minutes after the surveillance footage was captured, the men were allegedly involved in a deadly shooting.

Amid mounting allegations of TDA apartment takeovers, the Aurora Police Department released the mugshots and identities of 10 TDA gang members in mid-September.

Per the department's announcement, roughly five miles away from the Edge at Lowry, several TDA gang members were arrested for incidents that occurred at Whispering Pines Condominium. The alleged crimes included assault, domestic dispute with a weapon, and felony menacing.

The same police bulletin noted that two TDA gang members were detained for alleged crimes at Fitzsimons Place, an apartment complex less than two miles from Edge at Lowry. The suspects were arrested for assault and a nonfatal shooting.

That same week, Mayor Coffman and Council member Jurinsky issued a joint statement "to clear the record about the widely reported presence of Tren de Aragua (TdA) in Aurora and across the metro area."

They explained that "overstated claims" suggested that TDA had taken over the city.

"TdA's presence in Aurora is limited to specific properties," they clarified. "We can also now confirm that criminal activity, including TdA issues, had significantly affected" specific properties in the city.

John Fabbricatore, a retired ICE Denver Field Office director and current Republican congressional candidate for Colorado's 6th District, told Blaze News, "Initially, the gang has been confined to specific areas of the city, but if it is ignored it will spread out further throughout the city and state. Aurora must work with Federal authorities as a force multiplier to gather the information and resources necessary to eradicate this growing threat."

Non-sanctuary jurisdictions push back

Earlier this year, Douglas and El Paso Counties filed a lawsuit against the state and Gov. Polis over their sanctuary policies, specifically Colorado House Bill 19-1124 and 23-1100. The complaint claimed that the bills are "illegal and unconstitutional" because they undermine federal immigration laws and regulations. Furthermore, the counties argued that the unlawful legislation has "create[d] dangerous conditions" for Colorado residents and immigrants.

HB 19-1124 claims to "protect" residents from "federal government overreach" by prohibiting law enforcement from arresting or detaining an individual based on ICE's detainer request. Local law enforcement officers are also barred from providing information about individuals to the federal government. HB 23-1100 banned state and any local government officials from "entering into an agreement for the detention of individuals in an immigration detention facility that is owned, managed, or operated by a private entity."

Fabbricatore told Blaze News that the sanctuary laws have "released criminals onto the streets," many of whom "have reoffended and even committed murder" afterward.

He pointed to one case where an illegal alien, 37-year-old Jose Guadalupe Menjivar-Alas, was arrested for the killing of a Colorado mother and her son. In another case, 19-year-old Ever Valles was accused of robbing and murdering a man after Denver ignored ICE's detainer request.

"Sanctuary needs to stop immediately for the safety of our communities. In my opinion Sanctuary policy does not protect lawful immigrants or United States citizens it only protects criminals," Fabbricatore declared.

He referenced a House Judiciary Committee report, which noted that the recidivism rate was 29% for 10,000 immigrants with ICE detainer requests that were not honored between January and September 2014.

The counties' lawsuit against Colorado and Polis read, "The nation is facing an immigration crisis. The nation, the state, and local governments need to cooperate and share resources to address this crisis. Colorado House Bills 19-1124 and 23-1100 prohibit the necessary cooperation and create dangerous conditions for the State and migrants."

Douglas County commissioners previously stated that other counties may be interested in joining the lawsuit against Colorado.

‘The surrounding communities in the metro area never asked to be part of any asylum seeker programs.’

Shortly after filing the initial lawsuit, District 2 Commissioner George Teal told the "Jeff and Bill Show" that there was a "laundry list of counties and municipalities across the state who are just aching to join us on this," noting that the sanctuary legislation has impacted other police operations around the state.

In May, Douglas County filed an amended lawsuit against Colorado after Elbert, Garfield, Mesa, and Rio Blanco Counties also joined the complaint — representing 25% of the state's population.

Castle Rock, a town within Douglas County approximately 30 miles south of Denver, has also dealt with the consequences of Denver's sanctuary policies that have drawn in large numbers of immigrants.

Castle Rock City Council Member Max Brooks recently put forth a motion to instruct the town's attorney to consider a similar lawsuit against Denver. The motion passed 7-0 in September.

"The Town of Castle Rock, through Town Council, issued a declaration of support for the lawsuit filed by Douglas County against the state regarding the prohibition of local law enforcement speaking/coordinating directly with ICE," Brooks told Blaze News. "Because Castle Rock has no municipally funded/run detention facilities we are unable to prove standing so we may actually join their lawsuit."

"The declaration was the best we could do as a Council to voice very strong support of the County's lawsuit," Brooks continued. "We remain very strong supporters of our local and county law enforcement and encourage them to perform their duties to every extent they can in order to catch criminals and put them in jail. I am personally deeply opposed to any effort whatsoever to hamper our law enforcement from performing their public safety duties to protect our residents of Castle Rock and Douglas County."

When asked whether he had seen evidence of TDA's infiltration beyond Denver and Aurora into the Castle Rock area, Brooks told Blaze News that the state's sanctuary legislation makes identifying someone's immigration status and country of origin "much more difficult."

"While we have not directly seen evidence of TdA here in Castle Rock, I believe it is irresponsible for any local government to 'hope for the best' when we already have irrefutable facts showing nearly 45,000 illegal migrants have been brought to Denver, that the vast majority of those migrants are Venezuelan, that there is virtually ZERO vetting of migrants at the border, and that there is a TdA element active in Aurora," Brooks explained.

He noted that at one point, city leaders in Aurora also had "zero evidence of TdA activity but now find their city in a vastly different situation."

Brooks stated that organized retail theft rings have been more frequently targeting stores in Castle Rock, creating "a very large issue for big box retailers."

Additionally, Brooks pointed to a motor vehicle theft ring that the Douglas County Sheriff's Office recently busted. In late August, the department announced that, following multiple investigations, it arrested 11 individuals with suspected ties to the thefts. Among those arrested were three Venezuelan nationals and a Columbian national.

"The surrounding communities in the metro area never asked to be part of any asylum seeker programs, and Denver's own decisions are negatively impacting neighboring communities," Brooks told Blaze News.

He called for the funding of such programs to end.

"Washington has failed us, but so has Colorado and Denver following suit with dedicating $90 million in funding for asylum programs," he continued. "Illegal migrants continue to flow into Denver, despite the decrease and their desperate PR attempts to show executive order efficacy at the border."

“The number one concern I hear from constituents is public safety, tied directly to illegal migration. The Biden/Harris administration began this travesty, but the state of Colorado and city of Denver brought it right to the doorsteps of communities in the front range."

Americans in Ohio left in the dust after Biden-Harris immigration policies favor foreign nationals



The Biden-Harris administration’s open-border policies and expanded “lawful pathways” have wreaked havoc in many cities nationwide, including the small town of Tremont City, Ohio, within the Springfield metropolitan area.

The administration’s CHNV program has enabled otherwise inadmissible Cuban, Haitian, Nicaraguan, and Venezuelan nationals to fly into the United States and receive a two-year work permit. The program allows 30,000 individuals from these countries to enter the country each month.

Additionally, the Biden-Harris administration extended Temporary Protected Status for Haitian immigrants through August next year.

Both of these programs have contributed to a flood of approximately 20,000 Haitian nationals arriving in Springfield, Ohio, and subsequently spilling over into nearby smaller municipalities, including Tremont City.

The administration’s actions have strained the village's resources, led to an increase in traffic accidents, and caused a housing shortage, according to local officials and residents who recently spoke to Blaze News’ Julio Rosas.

Tony Flood II, the mayor of Tremont City, told Rosas, “Words can’t describe how it makes me feel. I’m ashamed of leaders and leadership allowing this kind of stuff to just pretty much invade.”

“My wife works in downtown Springfield,” he continued. “My daughter works right beside her, and I’m scared to death that one of these days I’m going to get a phone call or a visit by a state trooper or something that they’ve been hit. They’ve been rolled over.”

He noted that the number of traffic accidents in the area, especially around Springfield, has increased since the city welcomed the new foreign national arrivals.

“Honestly, it pisses me off that we’ve allowed it to hit this point. I mean, there’s kids getting killed,” Flood added. Last year, an 11-year-old boy was killed and dozens of children were injured when a Haitian driver allegedly crashed into a school bus.

Tremont City Police Chief Chad Duncan told Blaze News that the town has experienced a “major influx” of Haitians.

He said, “None of them have a license, and if they do, they’re temporary permits. Obviously, you can’t drive on a temporary permit in the state of Ohio.”

According to the officer, the increase in accidents could easily “be prevented if everybody would get on the same page, all law enforcement, and start towing these vehicles.”

Duncan explained that the town's law enforcement resources are limited and strained due to the recent population boom.

“We don’t have the capability of keeping up with all of it,” he added, noting that the village has not been provided any additional resources.

Mark Sanders, a Tremont City resident, told Blaze News that the town has been on top of towing vehicles driven by unlicensed drivers, but he noted that Springfield has not. Sanders speculated that Springfield is trying to appear more welcoming and accommodating to the Haitian nationals by not towing the vehicles. He said that he has been hit twice and his mother-in-law once while driving on Tremont City roads.

“The police, they’re almost morally crushed because every day they show up to five, six, seven of these accidents,” Sanders continued. “It’s like the movie 'Groundhog Day.' It’s the same thing over and over.”

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'Fraud, failure, and illegality': Cruz, other senators demand end to 'flawed' immigration program under Biden-Harris



A group of senators, led by Ted Cruz (R-Texas), sent a letter Tuesday to Attorney General Merrick Garland and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas demanding the administration put an end to its "fundamentally-flawed" CHNV program.

The program, which was recently restarted despite discoveries of fraud, allows 30,000 individuals per month from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela to immigrate to the United States. Those beneficiaries are flown into the U.S. and provided with a two-year work permit.

'Stop-gap marginal improvements and platitudes to improve the program do not solve the fundamental fraud, failure, and illegality of the CHNV program.'

In a letter obtained by the Daily Wire, Senator Cruz and his fellow lawmakers urged the federal government to "immediately" terminate the "ineffective, unlawful, and hazardous" program.

The DHS temporarily paused CHNV in mid-July "out of an abundance of caution" after a Fraud Detection and National Security Directorate report found fraud among some of the applications submitted by U.S.-based sponsors of the foreign national beneficiaries. The report revealed that approximately 3,000 sponsors had filed more than 100,000 forms. It also discovered that some of the sponsors used phone numbers belonging to deceased individuals, addresses of storage units, and fake zip codes.

A DHS spokesperson stated the agency would implement "additional vetting" of sponsors to protect against fraud moving forward. However, the program was restarted fewer than six weeks after the report was released.

In the letter, Cruz stated, "Stop-gap marginal improvements and platitudes to improve the program do not solve the fundamental fraud, failure, and illegality of the CHNV program. This fundamentally-flawed program must be permanently dismantled. The program has not only facilitated widespread fraud, but has also exposed serious vulnerabilities in our immigration system, leading to dire consequences for public safety. The tragic sexual assault and murder of 12-year-old Jocelyn Nungaray by two Venezuelan illegal aliens indicates the dangers posed by the Biden-Harris administration's immigration policies."

According to the senators, the program is unlawful and has "pervasive failure in oversight."

"By establishing a categorical program based on nationality, the Biden administration created a parallel immigration system without congressional approval," the senators stated.

"There have been many instances of crimes, such as sexual assault, rape, and murder committed by CHNV participants," they noted. "Scammers have been charging up to $5,000 for sponsorship, which underscores the program's vulnerability to exploitation by traffickers and other malicious actors."

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Despite apparent fraud discovery, Biden-Harris admin to restart controversial immigration program



The Biden-Harris administration’s Department of Homeland Security announced Thursday that it plans to restart one of its controversial immigration programs — referred to as CHNV — that was briefly paused after the discovery of rampant fraud.

The administration’s CHNV program allows 30,000 individuals per month from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela to immigrate to the United States. Beneficiaries are flown into the country and provided with a two-year work permit.

'A massive shell game.'

Applicants must pass a vetting process and have a U.S.-based sponsor to be eligible for the program.

A report by the Fraud Detection and National Security Directorate found fraud among the sponsors’ applications. Some sponsors used the same social security numbers, addresses, and phone numbers hundreds of times. Roughly 3,000 sponsors had filed more than 100,000 forms. The internal report found instances in which sponsors used phone numbers belonging to deceased individuals, addresses of storage units, and fake zip codes.

As a result, the DHS stated that it paused the program in mid-July “out of an abundance of caution.”

Approximately a month and a half later, the Biden-Harris administration has decided to restart the program, claiming that additional safeguards have been implemented.

A DHS spokesperson said it will conduct “additional vetting” of sponsors, including assigning two subagencies to investigate “financial records and criminal background.”

According to the spokesperson, most cases included errors or other application oversights, and only a small number of sponsors were responsible for committing fraudulent activity.

House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Mark Green (R-Tenn.), a strong critic of the “clearly flawed” program, slammed the administration for continuing the immigrant flights, which he views as illegal.

He accused the DHS of not “rooting out the fraud or putting adequate safeguards in place to prevent exploitation by sponsors.”

“It should come as no surprise that the Biden-Harris administration has rushed to restart its unlawful CHNV mass-parole scheme, despite the clear evidence of fraud permeating the program,” Green continued. “The CHNV program, along with the use of the CBP One app at the Southwest border, has helped the president and his border czar play a massive shell game, encouraging otherwise-inadmissible aliens to simply cross at ports of entry instead of between them.”

“But fundamentally, there would be no fraud to prevent if DHS simply stopped importing 30,000 inadmissible aliens every month in the first place,” Green added.

A DHS spokesperson reported that Border Patrol encountered 98% fewer illegal aliens from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela since December 2022, the New York Post reported.

Green and National Border Patrol Council President Brandon Judd have called the Biden-Harris administration’s CHNV program a “bait and switch.”

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Rampant fraud prompts Biden-Harris admin to halt controversial mass immigration program



The Biden-Harris administration recently decided to halt one of its controversial immigration programs after an internal report uncovered rampant fraud, according to a Thursday Fox News Digital report.

The administration's CHNV program allows 30,000 nationals per month from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela — as well as their immediate family members — to immigrate to the U.S.

Fox News Digital reported that the Department of Homeland Security paused the program in mid-July after a report created by the Fraud Detection and National Security Directorate discovered fraud in many of the applications of beneficiaries' sponsors — those already residing in the U.S.

To be eligible for the program, applicants must have a U.S.-based sponsor and pass the DHS vetting process. Additionally, they could not have attempted to enter the country illegally previously. If approved, the beneficiaries are flown into the country with a two-year authorization to reside in the U.S. and provided work-permit eligibility.

The DHS told the news outlet that it halted the program "out of an abundance of caution" while it reviews those applications.

"DHS has review mechanisms in place to detect and prevent fraud and abuse in our immigration processes. DHS takes any abuse of its processes very seriously," a DHS spokesperson told Fox News Digital. "Where fraud is identified, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will investigate and litigate applicable cases in immigration court and make criminal referrals to the Department of Justice."

"Out of an abundance of caution, DHS has temporarily paused the issuance of advanced travel authorizations for new beneficiaries while it undertakes a review of supporter applications. DHS will restart application processing as quickly as possible, with appropriate safeguards," the spokesperson added.

The internal report uncovered sponsor applications that used the same social security numbers, address, and phone numbers hundreds of times, Fox News Digital reported. The report, obtained by the Federation for American Immigration Reform, showed that 100,948 forms had been filed by 3,218 serial sponsors, defined as those who appeared on at least 20 forms.

In some instances, sponsors used phone numbers belonging to dead people, addresses of storage units, and nonexistent zip codes, the report found.

Despite the alarming findings, the DHS maintained that applicants are "thoroughly screened and vetted prior to their arrival to the United States."

"The multi-layered screening and vetting for advanced travel authorizations is separate from the screening of U.S.-based supporters," the spokesperson told Fox News Digital. "DHS has not identified issues of concern relating to the screening and vetting of beneficiaries."

Ira Mehlman, a spokesperson for FAIR, told the news outlet, "This is an indication that the administration was willing to cut every corner and endanger public safety in order to bring in as many illegal aliens as they could."

Homeland Security Committee Chairman Mark Green (R-Tenn.) released a statement responding to the DHS' recent decision to pause the program.

"This admission by the Biden-Harris administration vindicates every warning we have ever issued about the unlawful CHNV mass-parole program," Green said. "It also exposes the lie by administration officials, like now-impeached DHS Secretary Mayorkas, about the quality and extent of the vetting process—not just for the inadmissible aliens seeking entry, but those attempting to sponsor them. We issued a subpoena last year to compel documents regarding this program, and while DHS partially complied, the department remains delinquent in producing certain documents and communications relating to the program."

Green called for the program to be immediately terminated.

"This is exactly what happens when you create an unlawful mass-parole program in order to spare your administration the political embarrassment and bad optics of overrun borders," Green added.

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