There’s nothing secret about this immigration program

I was disappointed in the “Biden secret flights” letter, because it was lacking in information and only delivered half truths. Five minutes on Google found this info from ABC News, The AP, Verify This and more.

U.S. presidents have been using some form of this “parole” program since the 1950s. It was created to help people who didn’t quite qualify for legal immigration status. It has never been a secret. The CPB discloses numbers using the program every month on its public website.

In its current iteration, Biden has allowed Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, Venezuelans and some Ukrainians to come to the United States. Each participant must apply online in their home country; they must have a sponsor, a passport and must be able to pass a security clearance. If approved, they must buy their own ticket to get to the United States and then meet with an immigration agent on arrival to go through more clearance. If they pass that, they are allowed to stay in the United States for two years with some qualifying for work cards. When the two years are up, they must either then return home or reapply for the program.

I imagine that Elise Stefanik had access to even better information than I had. But the Republicans want people to get hysterical like the writer of the letter did. Or if the writer had taken the time, he could have found out what the program really was, how old it really was and that many Republican presidents used it as well as President Biden.

But in this day and age, misinformation seems more important than fact.

— Sally Nogg, Longmont