Congressional Democrats have downplayed concerns regarding President Joe Biden’s migrant parole policy, despite a surge in crimes committed by illegal immigrants. The policy has allowed over one million migrants into the U.S. since January 2023, yet the system struggles to track their status. Data from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) reveals that around 460,000 migrants entered through commercial flights, and another 630,000 sought parolee status via the CBP One mobile app.
Border officials have identified numerous migrants as security risks, including eight men with alleged ties to ISIS, suspected of plotting a terrorist attack. When pressed by Fox Business congressional correspondent Hillary Vaughn, several Democratic representatives provided vague responses regarding the parole policy.
Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-FL) acknowledged the need to understand people’s intentions but admitted that “sometimes people slip through the cracks.” Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) claimed that undocumented immigrants commit fewer crimes than citizens but did not address the specific preventability of crimes by parolees. Similarly, Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY) reiterated that immigrants commit fewer crimes but avoided directly answering Vaughn’s question about the preventability of such crimes.
Concerns have intensified following reports that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) flagged over 400 immigrants from Central Asia and other regions as “subjects of concern” due to connections with an ISIS-linked human smuggling network. Several high-profile crimes by illegal immigrants further exacerbate the issue. For instance, Jose Antonio Ibarra, a Venezuelan illegal immigrant, is accused of murdering 22-year-old nursing student Laken Riley at the University of Georgia. Similarly, Johan Jose Rangel Martinez and Franklin Jose Pena Ramos, also from Venezuela, were charged with the murder of 12-year-old Jocelyn Nungaray in Houston.
Other notable cases include Victor Antonio Martinez-Hernandez, an Ecuadorian illegal immigrant, charged with raping and murdering 37-year-old Rachel Morin, and Christian Geovanny Inga-Landi, also from Ecuador, accused of tying up and raping a teenager in New York City.
Despite these incidents, congressional Democrats continue to defend the parole policy, emphasizing the need for a fair immigration process while critics argue for stricter measures to prevent crime and ensure national security.
