Republican Representative Elise Stefanik accuses Vice President Kamala Harris of mishandling the illegal immigration crisis, citing the use of a controversial phone app that allows migrants to be paroled into the U.S.
Vice President Kamala Harris is facing intense scrutiny from Republican lawmakers, including New York Representative Elise Stefanik, over the Biden administration's handling of illegal immigration. Stefanik has been particularly critical of the CBP One app, which allows up to 1,450 migrants per day to schedule an appointment at a U.S. port of entry and be paroled into the country.
The Mexican government has begun busing migrants to the U.S. border under a new program that is part of the Biden administration's Emerging Safe Mobility Corridor initiative. Under this program, migrants are given a temporary 20-day visa and provided with transportation and food to their scheduled CBP One appointments.
Kamala Harris Faces Scrutiny from Republicans on Illegal Immigration
Republicans have accused the Biden administration of abusing humanitarian parole, which they argue is intended for use on a case-by-case basis for urgent humanitarian reasons or significant public benefit. They have pointed to statistics indicating that over 95% of migrants who schedule an appointment through the CBP One app are allowed to enter the U.S.
The Mexican National Institute of Migration has released a video showing the first bus transporting migrants from Tapachula, near Guatemala, to Reynosa, near the U.S. border. The migrants in the video are seen being spoken to by a Mexican official before boarding the bus.
Kamala Harris Faces Scrutiny from Republicans on Illegal Immigration
The Biden administration has defended the CBP One app as a key part of its migration strategy, which aims to increase funding for the border while expanding "lawful" migration pathways. The administration has also used the app to allow up to 30,000 nationals from four countries to fly directly into the U.S. after being approved.
However, a recent report from the DHS Inspector General found issues with the vetting process used in the CBP One app. The report said that while the app uses biographic and biometric information to determine whether arriving noncitizens have derogatory records, it does not leverage the information to identify suspicious trends as part of its pre-arrival vetting procedures.
Kamala Harris Faces Scrutiny from Republicans on Illegal Immigration
Immigration has become a major election issue after a three-year crisis at the southern border that repeatedly set records for apprehensions. The Biden administration has called for the backing of a bipartisan Senate bill that would increase funding for the border, while blaming the crisis on the failure of Congress to provide that funding.
DHS points to a sharp decrease in apprehensions since President Biden signed an order to allow authorities to temporarily suspend the entry of illegal immigrants across the border. Officials say that this has led to a 50% decrease in apprehensions since then.
Kamala Harris Faces Scrutiny from Republicans on Illegal Immigration
Republicans, including former President Trump, have blamed the crisis on the Biden administration's policies and the rolling back of what they see as successful Trump-era policies. Trump has pledged to shut down parole policies and launch a massive deportation operation if elected in November.
