Bishop Mark J. Seitz of El Paso, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Committee on Migration, issued the following statement in response to this new program:

“We welcome this effort to provide a realistic opportunity for attaining family unity and reunification, which are foundational to the U.S. immigration system and central tenants of Catholic social teaching. As we know, ‘Family relations contribute decisively to the sound building of human society in fellowship, which cannot be reduced to simply the inhabitants of a territory or citizens of a State who live together.’

“Unfortunately, what the need for such programs demonstrates—and as similar programs created for Cubans and Haitians have already underscored—is that backlogs continue to pose untenable challenges for aspiring immigrants who seek to avail themselves of the limited legal pathways currently available, whether family- or employment-based in nature. This is why my brother bishops and I, along with the vast majority of civic leaders and the American public, know immigration reform is ultimately the only true and sustainable solution to these challenges. We continue to urge Congress to come together on a bipartisan basis to achieve this, a difficult but not impossible task, as demonstrated by recent measures such as the Dignity Act.” 

Under the new FRP processes, certain nationals of Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras whose family members are U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents can be considered for parole on a case-by-case basis, so long as they have been approved for a family-based immigration visa and are waiting for that visa to become available. The number of visas provided annually is limited under U.S. law. To qualify, family members must be outside of the United States, meet several vetting and medical requirements, must not already have an immigrant visa, and must receive an invitation to participate from the U.S. Department of State. Individuals paroled into the United States under the FRP process will generally be considered for parole for up to three years and will be eligible to request employment authorization. Once their immigration visa becomes available, they will have the opportunity to continue the process of receiving lawful permanent resident status in the United States.