Despite a reported drop in illegal border crossings, the Biden-Harris administration faces scrutiny over alternative entry programs allowing significant numbers of migrants into the U.S.
While illegal border crossings at the U.S.-Mexico border have decreased in recent months, the true scope of the migrant influx remains obscured by alternative entry methods under the Biden-Harris administration. Recent data from Customs and Border Protection (CBP) shows that recorded border crossings dropped following an executive order capping unlawful entries, but migrants continue to enter the U.S. through programs like the CBP One app and the CHNV parole program.
“A lot of people are saying migration has halted. I dare say this is not the case,” said Enrique Valenzuela, head of the Chihuahua Population Council, in a statement to Border Report. Valenzuela noted that although there appears to be a pause in border flow, many migrants are instead using the CBP One app to apply for asylum and seek entry into the U.S.
Launched in October 2020 and expanded by the Biden-Harris administration in 2023, the CBP One app allows migrants to schedule appointments for exemptions at ports of entry, submit biometric data, and apply for parole. From January 2023 to August 2024, over 800,000 foreign nationals used the app to schedule appointments, a figure that almost matches the number of traditional Border Patrol encounters during the same period. In August 2024 alone, 44,700 migrants entered the U.S. using the app, compared to 58,000 apprehensions by Border Patrol.
Andrew Arthur of the Center for Immigration Studies criticized the administration’s use of the app, telling the Daily Caller News Foundation, “All those people who make appointments with the CBP One app have no right to be in the United States.” He added that 95.8% of app users are eventually released into the country on parole, despite being placed into removal proceedings.
Additionally, the administration has flown more than 500,000 foreign nationals into the country through the CHNV parole program, which grants two-year parole to Cuban, Haitian, Nicaraguan, and Venezuelan migrants. However, the White House recently announced that parole would not be renewed for those enrolled in the program, which has been plagued by widespread fraud.
Despite these alternative entry programs, the Biden-Harris administration has enforced an executive order that caps daily unlawful border encounters. This policy contributed to the lowest recorded monthly encounters since the administration took office, with critics like House Homeland Committee Chairman Mark Green labeling the CHNV and CBP One programs a “massive shell game” designed to conceal the scale of the border crisis.
Meanwhile, Mexico has intensified its efforts to curb U.S.-bound migration through its territory, although experts question how long Mexican officials will continue to enforce stricter immigration controls. Todd Bensman of the Center for Immigration Studies filmed a large group of migrants in Tapachula, southern Mexico, noting that while they are being held back for now, they may head north after the U.S. election. “Biden-Harris did THIS for election optics,” Bensman wrote in a social media post, suggesting that the administration sought to minimize border crossings for campaign purposes.
The White House has not yet responded to requests for comment on these developments, as the migrant situation continues to evolve.
