The news came as a cold shower for those who had their paperwork in advance and were counting the days to give themselves a new opportunity in their lives, leaving behind the sad days caused by violence.
This anguish mixed with uncertainty began when the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden decided to halt travel authorizations for the humanitarian parole program that allows thousands of migrants from four countries, including Haiti, to travel directly to the northern nation.
The pause, prompted by revelations of fraud in sponsorship applications, allows the Department of Homeland Security to review processes and strengthen measures to prevent violations.
According to a leak shared by the Federation for American Immigration Reform, Customs and Border Protection stopped issuing travel authorizations for Venezuelans on July 6 and for other nationalities, including Haitians, on July 18.
‘The internal report reveals worrying anomalies, such as the repeated use of Social Security numbers, addresses and telephone numbers, some even belonging to deceased persons or storage units,’ stresses Le National newspaper.
The processing of applications – according to the US authorities – will resume as soon as anti-fraud protection mechanisms are in place.
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