The Biden administration is facing criticism for its quiet expansion of refugee status to economic migrants throughout Latin America, a move immigration expert Todd Bensman described as “refugeeising” migrants from countries traditionally excluded from such programs. Speaking on Steve Bannon’s War Room, Bensman warned that this policy could have far-reaching consequences for U.S. immigration.
“Ramping up started this spring where they are refugeeising economic migrants throughout Latin America,” Bensman explained. “What I mean by ‘refugeeising’ is that they are applying refugee status to countries and people that they’ve never given it to before.”
The policy, according to Bensman, marks a significant departure from past U.S. refugee practices. “We don’t normally give refugee status to Venezuelans, Cubans, Haitians, and Nicaraguans,” he said. Historically, refugee status has been reserved for people fleeing war zones like Syria or Congo, but now it’s being used for economic migrants. “This is a way to fly them in at taxpayer expense, and they’re legal permanent residents right away.”
The Biden administration has already flown in tens of thousands of migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Ecuador, Bensman noted. Under the program, entire families can board commercial flights to the U.S. on what Bensman called “travel loans” provided by the U.S. State Department. “These are backed by U.S. taxpayer funds, and there’s no interest and no penalty for not paying it back,” he said. “It’s essentially a giveaway.” […]
— Read More: warroom.org
