“The Biden Administration’s recent use of immigration parole authority has also had the unintended effect of helping the U.S. economy address severe labor shortages.”
The Biden Administration’s recent use of immigration parole authority has proven not only a compassionate response to people seeking safety and refuge, but has also had the unintended effect of helping the U.S. economy address severe labor shortages in 2022.
Immigration parole authorizes government officials under the guidance of the Administration to allow, case by case, individuals to temporarily enter the U.S. and receive temporary protection. This is particularly useful in light of ongoing restrictive policies, such as Title 42 or the proposed asylum ban, which make entering the U.S. and applying for relief nearly impossible for many people seeking asylum. Immigration parole is a timely, legal immigration tool that has let the U.S. extend urgent humanitarian relief to individuals fleeing some of the world’s most dangerous situations, arriving by air or walking by foot to seek safety for themselves and their families in the U.S.
Immigration parole is granted if immigration authorities determine there are “urgent humanitarian reasons or significant public benefit.” Paroled individuals may enter the U.S. legally, be protected from deportation, and, in certain circumstances, can apply for work authorization. In recent years, the Biden Administration has exercised parole authority to admit some individuals fleeing war and dangerous conditions. After the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, Operation Allies Welcome was responsible for the rapid relocation of more than 75,000 Afghans in 2021 and 2022. Families and communities across the U.S. have welcomed Afghan families with generosity. Similarly, in 2022, the Uniting for Ukraine parole policy permitted some 115,000 Ukrainians to enter the U.S. after they were sponsored by U.S. individuals at their own expense. The U.S. also paroled some individuals arriving at the southwest border seeking asylum, but who were ineligible to enter the U.S. because of Title 42.