Written by Evan Poellinger
What’s happening: The Center for Immigration Studies (CIS) reported that the Biden administration has been flying hundreds of thousands of illegal migrants into American cities.
- Under wraps: A FOIA request uncovered that U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) quietly flew approximately 320,000 migrants into 43 American airports between January 2023 and December 2023. CBP cannot reveal the receiving airports due to “operational vulnerabilities.”
- Ports of entry: A separate parole program has brought in over 400,000 migrants from 2021 to 2023 through eight ports of entry along the U.S.-Mexico border.
How did they get in?: These illegal migrants can be traced to Biden’s CBP One program, which permits foreigners to request permission to travel to the U.S. through a cell phone app. Once approved, the migrants are transported to the United States to be processed and released.
Big Picture: These 320,000 inadmissible migrants are just a portion of the estimated four million-plus illegal immigrants who have entered the U.S. since President Joe Biden took office. Additionally, Illegal crossings have surged significantly, rising by 13 percent in December 2023 compared to the previous record high in December 2022.
- Taxpayer Burden: The influx of relocated migrants to cities such as New York City and Chicago has prompted the spending of $12 billion and $850,000 respectively, to provide them with services and transportation. 1,900 migrants were even housed in an NYC high school, displacing regular students.
Why it matters: CBP’s reluctance to disclose the destinations of unvetted migrants indicates a disconnect between Biden-led executive agencies and the American people, which further exacerbates the illegal immigration problem.