South Florida families of recently arrived migrants fear for loved ones
MIAMI - Cubans and Haitians who come to South Florida by boat are not eligible for the new parole program and are subject to repatriation.
Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas reiterated Thursday that Cubans and Haitians who illegally enter the U.S. by sea will not qualify to apply for the recently launched parole program and will enter a process of repatriation, according to the Biden's administration executive order that went into effect on January 9th.
Families of migrants who made it to U.S. soil fear their loved ones may end up deported.
"I'm very concerned, my brother, he's at an immigration detention center and now there's an executive order that should not apply to him," said Yarileisy Sierra.
Her brother, Rolando Corvacho, 32, like many Cuban migrants, arrived on a rustic vessel in the Florida Keys on December 31st.
"He came before it was issued and he already risked his life," said Sierra.
Mayorkas announced through a tweet that Haitians and Cubans who entered the U.S. the same way as Corvacho did will be repatriated and will not be eligible for a parole process.
"They have to come legally (to qualify for parole) meaning they need a sponsor and they need to fly in, with a flight into the United States," said immigration attorney Miguel Inda Romero.
He said many Cubans and Haitians who entered before may be stranded
"It will affect some people who were on the waiting list, making the journey and this law caught them in between," said Romero.
A South Florida organization that speaks on behalf of Haitian migrants said they don't encourage the journey by sea, but if they do it, they should not be repatriated
"Because we know that people have the right to asylum, the right to protection," said Paul Namphy with the Family Action Network movement.