A Government Accountability Office (GAO) report revealed thousands of fraudulent applications in Biden-era immigration parole programs, including dead sponsors, celebrity identities, and criminal ties, as USCIS vows to clean up the “mess” left by Alejandro Mayorkas’ policies.

By yourNEWS Media Newsroom

WASHINGTON — A scathing report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) exposed widespread fraud in Biden-era immigration parole programs, revealing that thousands of applications—including those with dead sponsors, fake identities, and criminal links—slipped through lax vetting processes under former DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.

Between May 2022 and September 2024, 774,000 noncitizens were granted parole under programs like Uniting for Ukraine, Family Reunification Parole, and CHNV (Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, Venezuela) migrants. However, the GAO report uncovered systemic flaws, including:

  • 1,400+ applicants listing deceased U.S. citizens as sponsors.
  • Fraudulent use of celebrity identities, including Elvis Presley’s Social Security number and photos of Connie Chung and Coté de Pablo on passports and licenses.
  • 3,000+ applications with fake U.S. passports.
  • Sponsors tied to crimes like drug trafficking, money laundering, assault, and human smuggling—including one wanted for murder in Haiti.

“The findings are unsurprising and confirm that [President] Joe Biden’s open border policy prioritized aliens—including many fraudsters and violent criminals—over the safety of the American people,” USCIS spokesman Matthew J. Tragesse told The Epoch Times on December 18.

Program Breakdown and Fraud Risks

The GAO report detailed flaws in three key programs:

  • Uniting for Ukraine: 230,227 applicants processed.
  • CHNV migrants: 531,307 processed.
  • Family Reunification Parole: 12,268 processed.

USCIS reviewers often approved fraudulent applications because they lacked automated fraud detection and couldn’t verify U.S. citizen sponsors without prior filing history.

Expert Reactions and USCIS Response

Former immigration judge Andrew Arthur, now with the Center for Immigration Studies, called the fraud “criminally inexcusable” in a December 16 statement. “Who designed these ‘humanitarian parole’ application systems? The Mob?” he wrote, citing absurd submissions like stock landscape images and U.S. flag photos as “documentation.”

The GAO recommended that USCIS develop fraud controls and that DHS Secretary Kristi Noem (who took office in 2025) apply lessons learned to prevent future abuses.

Trump Administration Cracks Down

Under Noem’s leadership, the DHS has terminated several controversial programs:

  • Family Reunification Parole (FRP) for Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, and Honduras (announced December 12).
  • Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Nicaragua and Venezuela (ended earlier this year).
  • Haiti’s TPS set to expire February 3, 2026 (extended due to litigation).
  • Ukraine’s TPS expires October 2026.

“The desire to reunite families does not overcome the government’s responsibility to prevent fraud and abuse and to uphold national security,” DHS stated in a December 12 press release.

A System in Crisis

The GAO report underscores how Biden’s parole programs became a magnet for fraud, with 210,000 supporter applications rejected (17%) and 61,000 travel authorizations denied or canceled. Critics argue the lack of oversight allowed criminals and fraudsters to exploit the system—at taxpayers’ expense.

As the Trump administration continues its crackdown, the GAO’s findings serve as a damning indictment of Biden’s immigration policies—and a warning for future reforms. “USCIS will not rest until this mess is cleaned up,” Tragesse vowed.

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