Humanitarian paroles approved for Cubans, Venezuelans, and Nicaraguans seeking to immigrate to the United States

A year ago, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) implemented procedures to allow citizens of Cuba, Venezuela, Nicaragua, and Haiti to legally travel safely to the United States.

The initiative grants travel permits and paroles, provides advance authorization, and temporary periods of up to two years for immediate humanitarian reasons or public benefit.

According to a recent statement from Customs and Border Protection (CBP), in December 2023, a total of 327,000 Latin American travelers entered the United States legally under this program. The most represented nationalities were Cubans, Venezuelans and Nicaraguans with 67,000, 81,000 and 53,000 tourists respectively.

Once authorized, beneficiaries must fly directly to their final destination in the United States. In December, the following were allowed to travel under parole:

• 69,000 Cubans
• 87,000 Venezuela
• 60,000 Nicaraguans

The program is part of a broader DHS effort to encourage legal immigration, including family reunification and the use of the CBP One mobile app. In December 2023, 45,770 migrants were admitted to land border crossings with Mexico through this appointment system, which has facilitated A total of 413,300 people interviewed by Customs since its implementation.

The Latin American nationalities most likely to use the CBP One system to obtain appointments are Venezuelans, Mexicans, and Haitians.

These data demonstrate the significant impact of these policies in facilitating legal travel to the United States for citizens of Latin American countries, providing safe and legal passage to those who qualify.