FIRST ON FOX: Republican lawmakers are raising concerns about a new "parole in place" scheme to protect illegal immigrant spouses of citizens from deportation -- warning that it could be accompanied by a spike in marriage fraud.
In a letter to DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, obtained by Fox News Digital, 10 lawmakers led by Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., say that the expansion of parole "is likely to result in the growth of an existing international criminal network used to allow aliens to illegally enter the country through fraudulent marriages, including individuals connected with terrorist organizations."
The Biden administration announced the new process in June, that allows noncitizen spouses who have lived in the U.S. for 10 years and are judged not to pose a threat to public safety or national security to apply for permanent residency.
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DHS estimates that it will affect approximately 500,000 illegal immigrants. The process would not be eligible for new arrivals, as they must be in the U.S. for more than 10 years by June 2024.
But the lawmakers note that marriage fraud has been a major avenue used for illegal immigrants, and is often organized by criminal groups.
"Marriage fraud is also known to be a tool used by terrorist organizations. Members of both Al Qaeda and Hezbollah have used marriage fraud to allow their members to enter the United States under the guise of legitimacy," they note.
"Since the criminal mechanisms for large scale marriage fraud for illegal aliens already exist, we are greatly concerned that the announced plans to parole certain aliens based on marriage status to American citizens will only exacerbate the current problem with detecting fraudulent marriages," they say.
The lawmakers ask DHS how many cases it identifies of marriage fraud each year, the processes for identifying fraud and whether DHS anticipates instances of fraud will increase due to the new parole program.
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They also ask whether there is consideration that some of those who qualify may qualify only because they are in a fraudulent marriage, and whether DHS is planning on implementing further measures to detect fraud.
The letter is the latest concern raised about the use of parole by the Biden administration. Republicans have said they believe the parole system is being abused by the administration and that the authority only allows it to be used on a case by case basis for urgent humanitarian reasons or significant public benefit.
The Biden administration says it is expanding lawful pathways for migrants, in part due to the lack of funding and reform passed by Congress and as a way to bring order to the border and to discourage illegal immigration.
Fox News Digital reached out to DHS for comment.
