Thursday, May 28, 2026

Were 150,000 – 250,000 noncitizens paroled into the United States per week under the Biden Administration?

Though the number of parolees increased significantly under the Biden Administration, data obtained from Customs and Border Protection shows an average of 67,998 noncitizens granted parole per month from FY2021-2024, peaking at 121, 617 in August 2023.

Paroles are one avenue for arriving noncitizens that are deemed inadmissible – usually due to a lack of visas or documentation – to enter lawfully and temporarily, and to potentially receive work authorization, on a “case-by-case basis for urgent humanitarian reasons or significant public benefit.”

From FY2012 – 2020, CBP parolees averaged 272,320 per year – or 22,693 per month. These numbers tripled during the Biden Administration due to the authorization of four new parole programs. The Trump Administration terminated one such program, as well as the Family Reunification Parole programs for several Latin American countries.

Parolees per month have since dropped, averaging 19,965 from February 2025 to March 2026.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.

Sources

Trac Reports About the Data – Stopping “Inadmissibles” at U.S. Ports of Entry
Trac Reports Stopping "Inadmissibles" at U.S. Ports of Entry
Trac Reports A Ten-Year Look at Inadmissible Migrants and Paroled Migrants at Ports of Entry
GovInfo.gov Immigration and Nationality Act
American Immigration Council Trump Administration Terminates CHNV Program, Impacting More Than a Half-Million Immigrants
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services DHS Ends the Abuse of the Humanitarian Parole Process and Terminates Family Reunification Parole Programs

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Were 150,000 – 250,000 noncitizens paroled into the United States per week under the Biden Administration?

Sources

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