US admits thousands from Latin America through expanded lawful entry program: new report

The Biden administration increased the capacity of a "Lawful Pathways" program this spring, that helps tens of thousands of migrants find sanctuary in the United States each year, according to a report released Wednesday.

The Safe Mobility Office Initiative has helped fly tens of thousands of migrants to the U.S. through the refugee resettlement process, and granted refugee status to 21,000 people from seven different Latin American countries between May 2023 and May 2024, per a Center for Immigration Studies (CIS) analysis.

The refugees, half of whom have already come to the U.S., are coming from Haiti, Venezuela, Nicaragua, Cuba, Guatemala, Ecuador and Colombia. The administration is also now allowing migrants to come from Honduras and El Salvador.

An influx of at least 21,000 refugees from that specific program also shows a sharp contrast in the Biden administration's approach to immigration. Previous administrations admitted less than 5,000 refugees into the country from Central and South America, instead of the 50,000 migrants authorized under President Joe Biden for 2024, Fox News reported.

"We have a visa process so they can safely go to an embassy and safely apply for a visa and safely fly to the U.S.," Lora Ries, director of the Heritage Foundation's Border Security and Immigration Center, told the outlet. "This is to completely abuse and twist the refugee process. It’s abusive and not lawful." 

Ries also said that the report proves that the refugees are not being properly vetted, because the process normally takes over a year, instead of just a matter of days. 

The CIS report also included a survey that found the vast majority of the program's refugees (90%) were coming to the country for economic opportunities and better living conditions, instead of avoiding persecution, which has been the previous standard for refugee status.

Misty Severi is an evening news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.