Nearly 90% of migrants arriving at the U.S.-Mexico border during part of the Biden administration were released through parole, according to a report from the Government Accountability Office. 

Between early 2021 and the start of President Donald Trump's second term on Jan. 20, 2025, the Department of Homeland Security greatly expanded the use of "humanitarian parole." 

Between 2019 and 2020, by contrast, parole was granted in approximately 3% to 28% of cases at the southern border, according to the GAO, an independent government agency that produces reports for Congress. 

The number of paroles that were granted increased beginning in the summer of 2021 and peaked in December 2022, when 89% of encounters resulted in parole, the report states. 

Paroles declined after December 2022, and then dropped further after Trump assumed office. The report explains that information about the non-citizens' parole status isn't readily accessible, making it hard for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to take action as appropriate.