The Biden administration may reopen an asylum program that fell victim to “massive fraud,” but thousands of possible fraudulent uses of the program are still under investigation.
According to a report from NBC News, the program allowing immigrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela to apply for entry and temporary work permits could be reinstated by the Biden administration as early as this week, despite the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) finding that thousands of applications submitted under the program were fraudulent.
The program, which was launched last year, was “paused” last month to allow the Department of Homeland Security to conduct “sponsor application reviews” of sponsors who are legally residing in the U.S. and who promise to provide financial support to immigrants moving to the country.
But an internal Department of Homeland Security report reviewed by NBC News found that of the roughly 101,000 sponsorship applications submitted under the program, 3,218 were submitted by “sequential sponsors” — individuals who used the same address, IP address and phone number on their applications.
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In one example study conducted by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), part of the Department of Homeland Security, nearly 600 applications were flagged for what appeared to be the address of a commercial warehouse in Orlando, Fla. The study also found repeated use of the same Social Security numbers, some of which belonged to deceased people.
The report did not say how many of the sponsored applicants were able to enter the United States, but noted that in the past, a small number of sponsors for a large number of people has raised concerns about human trafficking.
Still, the administration wants to restart the program as soon as possible because officials believe having it available will deter migrants from the four countries from trying to cross the U.S. border illegally, the report said, citing officials familiar with the decision.
But the decision comes at a time when roughly 30,000 applications submitted before the program was paused still need to be reviewed, and which are unlikely to be completed by the time the program resumes.
Migrants attempt to cross the Piedras Negras-Eagle Pass border on Aug. 4, 2023, in Piedras Negras, Mexico. (David Peinado Romero/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
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The USCIS began the review in April after its internal fraud-detection unit conducted a “petition trend analysis” that uncovered red flags in thousands of applications, raising concerns that many of them may be fraudulent. But it's unclear how many of the potentially fraudulent applications were ultimately approved.
In another example, the investigation found “concerning trends” from nine IP addresses sponsoring more women than men, including one IP address linked to applications to sponsor 18 women, 14 of whom were under the age of 18.
Migrants walk along a highway in southern Mexico on July 21, 2024, as they head north toward the U.S. border. (AP Photo/Edgar H. Clemente)
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US government officials reportedly told NBC News that the revived program would involve screening sponsors piecemeal under strengthened procedures, and that those found guilty of fraud would be handed over for investigation.
Neither the White House nor the Department of Homeland Security immediately responded to Fox News Digital's requests for comment.
