WASHINGTON DC (July 23, 2019) — Senator Charles "Chuck" Grassley is calling on the Justice Department and Department of Homeland Security to explain what is being done to better account for inadmissible foreign nationals whom DOJ allowed into the country under its parole authority.
DOJ’s “significant public benefit parole” (SPBP) authority allows the Attorney General to grant temporary entry to certain foreign nationals who are statutorily barred from legally entering the country. Some individuals may be barred because of prior criminal history. However, a recent DOJ Inspector General audit found that the department isn’t adequately tracking these foreign nationals. As a result, the IG reported that 1,078 cases lacked sufficient information in January and February.
“The US government cannot accept that this number of individuals with criminal backgrounds are meandering throughout the interior, putting the safety and security of Americans at risk. DOJ and DHS must swiftly and effectively locate these individuals and resolve the outstanding SPBP cases,” Sen Grassley wrote in a letter to DOJ and DHS.
Sen Grassley is seeking details on steps being taken by the agencies to address the issues raised in the IG report. Specifically, he is requesting data on the number of SPBP recipients with criminal histories as well as instances in which SPBP recipients absconded or fell out of legal status because of inaction or other failures on the part of DOJ components.
Sen Grassley has previously raised concerns about the Obama administration’s expanded use of immigration parole, which was intended to be used on a limited case-by-case basis, and the authority’s general lack of accountability
Text of Grassley’s letter to DOJ and DHS available at link.
