August 25, 2023

Contact: media@haitianbridge.org

Victoria, Texas — Today a bench trial will continue to litigate the CHNV humanitarian Parole Program which was put in place by the Department of Homeland Security in January of 2023 as safe, orderly and humane pathways.

The program allows people from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela to legally enter the U.S. with the support of a U.S based sponsor and utilizing an immigration authority referred to as “parole” based on a program for Ukrainians. The Biden Administration created the first such process in April 2022 without any challenges from neither Texas nor any of the other 20 states.

According to Customs and Border Patrol, more than 160,000 Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans have entered the country under the program through June of this year and have been reunited with their friends, loved ones and families.

Guerline Jozef, Founder and Executive Director of the Haitian Bridge Alliance, the Co-Founder of the Black Immigrants Bail Fund, and the Co-Founder of the Cameroon Advocacy Network, who is attending the hearings, issued the following statement:  

“The Humanitarian Parole Program for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans just like the one for the Ukrainians is a beacon of hope for countless individuals fleeing persecution, violence, war, and disasters in their home countries. It is our duty to preserve this lifeline for those who have no other recourse. Over 1.5 million sponsors have already submitted applications in the U.S, a testament to the overwhelming support by the American people to welcome newcomers. We are grateful for the amazing co-counsel at the Justice Action Center (JAC) CLIP and RAICES for representing the seven plaintiffs in the case. We are unwavering in our commitment to tirelessly defend this program and the principles of compassion and justice it embodies.”

The challenge to the program, brought by Texas and joined by 20 other Republican-led states in Texas v. DHS primarily questions claim that the Biden Administration did not go through required procedures and that they constitute an unauthorized use of the statutory parole authority for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans but failed to challenge the same parole program for Ukrainians which was the basis for the CHNV program. 

In late March, a group of seven U.S. citizens, represented by Justice Action Center, RAICES, and the Center for Immigration Law and Policy (CILP) at the UCLA School of Law, who had sponsored or were applying to sponsor noncitizens for parole through the CHNV programs, filed a motion requesting to intervene in the lawsuit as defendants, so that they can defend the legality of the parole programs alongside the federal government defendants. We are profoundly grateful for our partners and the citizens who are applying to become sponsors. 

This hearing signifies a decisive moment in the ongoing struggle for justice, human rights, and the protection of the rights of vulnerable individuals seeking refuge in the United States. The Haitian Bridge Alliance has remained steadfast at the forefront of efforts to safeguard this crucial program and ensure its continued existence, primarily as a means of safeguarding vulnerable populations. The team will continue to monitor this case.