Biden restarts immigration programme with more vetting for sponsors

The Biden administration is restarting an immigration programme that allows migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela to come to the United States, and it is including additional vetting of their US-based financial sponsors following fraud concerns.

The Department of Homeland Security had suspended the programme earlier this month to investigate the concerns but indicated that an internal review found no widespread fraud among sponsors.

Together with our existing rigorous vetting of potential beneficiaries seeking to travel to the United States, these new procedures for supporters have strengthened the integrity of these processes and will help protect against exploitation of beneficiaries, the agency said.

The programme launched in January 2023 and is a major piece of the Biden administration's immigration policies that create or expand pathways for legal entry while restricting asylum for those who cross the border illegally.

The policy is aimed at countries that send la