Immigration Benefits: Internal Controls for Adjudicating Humanitarian Parole Cases Are Generally Effective, but Some Can Be Strengthened

In our February 2008 report on the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) humanitarian parole program, we found that USCIS' Humanitarian Assistance Branch (HAB) might not have had enough staff to ensure that it followed established policies and procedures for adjudicating requests for humanitarian parole. We recommended that the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) direct the Director of USCIS to coordinate with the HAB to determine the number of staff HAB needs to process humanitarian parole applications in accordance with policies and procedures and assign them to HAB. DHS agreed. In response to our recommendation, the Chief of the International Affairs Division conducted a staffing analysis resulting in a request for an additional 6 staff for the humanitarian parole program. On July 31, 2008, the Associate Director of Refugee, Asylum and International Operations approved the assignment of an additional 6 full-time positions to the HAB. The International Affairs Division is aiming to make selections and have the humanitarian parole program fully staffed by the end of the first quarter of fiscal year 2009. As a result, the humanitarian parole program will now have a sufficient number of staff to process humanitarian parole applications in accordance with policies and procedures.

In our February 2008 report on the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) humanitarian parole program, we found that USCIS' Humanitarian Assistance Branch (HAB) did not have a formal training program for new staff who may be detailed to help process applications. Such training is essential to ensure that criteria for granting and denying parole are applied consistently and fairly by the adjudicators. We recommended that USCIS develop a formal training program curriculum on adjudication of humanitarian parole cases for new staff. USCIS agreed with this recommendation. In response to our recommendation, USCIS developed a formal training program and standardized training materials. The training program includes a 4-day training course on the adjudication of humanitarian parole cases with practice adjudications followed by a week of supervised adjudication of actual cases. In addition, USCIS developed a draft Standard Operating Procedure for handling humanitarian parole appeal cases, a summary adjudication procedures guide and file checklist, and a background security check resolution form to help ensure that the criteria for granting and denying humanitarian parole are applied consistently and fairly by adjudicators. The training course was first presented in February 2009.

In our February 2008 report on the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services' (USCIS) humanitarian parole program, we found that USCIS' web site had limited information about the circumstances under which a person may apply for humanitarian parole. More information and clearer instructions could reduce the number of applications from those who had not taken the steps generally required before applying for humanitarian parole, such as exhausting other available avenues for entry into the United States. We recommended that the Secretary of DHS direct the Director of USCIS to revise USCIS' web site instructions to help ensure that applicants understand the need to first exhaust all other immigration avenues before applying for humanitarian parole. DHS agreed. In response to our recommendation, USCIS modified its web site to provide the public with guidance regarding the Humanitarian Parole Program. It includes a succinct description of the program stressing that parole is an extraordinary measure only to be sought after applicants have exhausted all other immigration avenues. The revised website also includes detailed guidelines for preparing and submitting applications for humanitarian parole. As a result, applicants now have additional information to help them decide whether to apply for humanitarian parole and clearer guidance for preparing and submitting applications for humanitarian parole.