Exclusive: Rep. Addison McDowell Proposes to End Biden-Era Loophole in Immigration Parole System
Rep. Addison McDowell (R-NC) introduced legislation on Wednesday that would seek to end a Biden-era abuse of the immigration system.
McDowell’s legislation, the Preventing the Abuse of Immigration Parole Act, aims to shut down the mass parole loophole, which his office said in a release was abused by Biden’s Homeland Security Secretary, Alejandro Mayorkas, who granted parole to over 2.8 million aliens, bypassing visa procedures, skipping background checks, and overwhelming American communities.
The legislation would specifically:
- Bar Chinese, Iranian, Russian, North Korean, Cuban, and Syrian nationals from obtaining parole without a waiver from the Secretary of State
- Limit the number of parolees at 3,000 individuals per fiscal year starting in 2029
The legislation would ensure that a future Democrat administration cannot abuse the parole system again.
“Immigration parole is not a rubber stamp for open-border bureaucrats to grant entry into America by the millions,” the Tar Heel State conservative continued. “When you parole foreign nationals in waves with no real vetting, it undermines the purpose of the law and compromises our national security, putting American lives at risk. This bill restores common sense by capping parole and shutting out hostile regimes.”
The legislation already has strong support from conservative lawmakers and outside groups.
Reps. Randy Weber (R-TX), Lauren Boebert (R-CO), and Ralph Norman (R-SC) cosponsored the legislation.
NumbersUSA said in a statement backing the bill:
The Biden Administration’s misuse of asylum and parole led to the largest border and immigration crisis in American history. This legislation will prevent a future Biden-style immigration catastrophe by requiring aliens to be admitted on a case-by-case basis instead of en masse by the millions. The bill importantly caps the total number of aliens that can be paroled into the country at 3,000 annually.
The Immigration Accountability Project also commented in a statement:
The Biden Administration’s abuse of parole authority was truly unprecedented, operating as an alternative immigration system established by executive fiat, which allowed millions of illegal aliens to be released into the country with work authorization. While the Trump Administration is winding down these unlawful parole programs, lasting reform requires Congress to exercise its plenary power over immigration and fulfill its obligation to fix systemic problems.
We are thankful to Congressman McDowell for taking action by introducing the Preventing the Abuse of Immigration Parole Act, which would restrict parole for nationals from countries that are identified as posing a national security risk and numerically limit parole to prevent future abuse. This legislation would help restore clarity and responsible limits to the use of immigration parole authority.
Read McDowell’s legislation, the Preventing the Abuse of Immigration Parole Act, here.
Sean Moran is a policy reporter for Breitbart News. Follow him on X @SeanMoran3.
