Homeland Security said Wednesday that illegal border crossings of key nationalities have plummeted after the department began a new program that converts would-be illegal immigrants into legal arrivals.
The program applies to Cubans, Venezuelans, Haitians and Nicaraguans. giving them a chance to apply for permission to enter from their home countries. Those that do show up at the border without first applying can be expelled.
Homeland Security claimed a 97% drop in people from those countries jumping the border as of this week, compared to early December.
The department acknowledged that illegal crossings from other nationalities are still rising, and said that’s proof that the parole program is the critical piece of the border security puzzle.