What GAO Found From October 2018 through May 2025, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) granted about 2.4 million paroles—temporary permission for a noncitizen to stay in the U.S.—out of its nearly 10.4 million encounters at the southwest border (see figure). Over half were to Mexicans, Cubans, and Venezuelans. CBP Paroles and Encounters at the Southwest Border, October 2018–May 2025 CBP implemented policies in 2021 expanding the use of humanitarian parole to help manage increasing encounters at the southwest border. In July 2021, CBP’s U.S. Border Patrol authorized agents to parole apprehended noncitizens on a case-by-case basis under certain conditions, such as limited immigration detention space. Further, in May 2023, CBP expanded access for noncitizens to use the CBP One mobile application to schedule appointments for CBP Office of Field Operations (OFO) officers to inspect them. Almost all (97 percent) appointments in fiscal years 2023 and 2024 resulted in paroles. Noncitizens paroled under the policies were generally placed in removal proceedings. Since January 2025, Border Patrol and OFO implemented guidance and policies restricting the use of parole and the number of paroles decreased substantially. Once noncitizens are paroled at the southwest border, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is responsible…
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Border Security: Additional Information Could Inform Enforcement Decisions for Noncitizens Paroled at the Southwest Border
Source: US GAO Reports — US Government, Public Domain