The Biden/Harris administration has "super-charged" a "Lawful Pathways" program. It has helped admit tens of thousands from Latin America.
The Safe Mobility Office Initiative launched in May 2023. It expanded this spring to fly people to the U.S. through the refugee process. This includes nationalities rarely qualifying for refugee status, according to a Center for Immigration Studies (CIS) analysis.
USCIS personnel and the UN set up offices in Ecuador, Colombia, Costa Rica, and Guatemala. They granted refugee status to 21,000 people from seven Latin American countries in the first year. Half of these people arrived in the U.S. by May.
Refugees are flown from Haiti, Venezuela, Nicaragua, Cuba, Guatemala, Ecuador, and Colombia. Even more may have arrived by June and July. The program now includes migrants from Honduras and El Salvador.
Traditionally, the U.S. grants refugee status to those fearing persecution. However, the CIS argues many coming now are economic migrants. They come for better economic opportunities, not to flee persecution.
A 2024 Mixed Migration Centre survey found 90% of participants wanted to travel to the U.S. for economic reasons. The administration has raised refugee slots from less than 5,000 to 50,000 in 2024.
"In the refugee pathway, we aim to resettle between 35,000 and 50,000 individuals in Fiscal Year 2024," said Marta Youth, principal deputy assistant secretary for the State Department’s Bureau of Population, Refugee and Migration. This is a significant increase from last year.
The administration justifies this by arguing it prevents dangerous migration. But some say it abuses the refugee program. "We have a visa process for safe application," said Lora Ries of the Heritage Foundation. "This twists the refugee process. It’s abusive and not lawful."
Ries also argues the program doesn’t help source countries and could endanger American citizens. She questions the vetting speed. "If you quickly process and resettle, they’re not fully vetted," Ries said. "It used to take about a year or more."
The CIS analysis shows some processes are completed in days. Ries calls this "ridiculous." "No vetting is happening," she said. "They have no idea who they’re letting in."