Reps. Salazar, McGarvey, and Wasserman Schultz Urge Biden Administration to Support Cubans with I-220A in the United States

WASHINGTON, D.C. – A bipartisan group of representatives including Rep. María Elvira Salazar (R-FL) sent a letter to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas urging him to grant “Parole in Place” (PIP) status to any Cuban national who was issued an I-220A form upon arrival in the United States. This would allow them to remain in the United States and apply for permanent residency under the Cuban Adjustment Act.

Other signatories include Reps. Morgan McGarvey (D-KY) and Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL).

“Hundreds of thousands of Cubans are living in the shadows because of a major failure of the executive branch of government,” said Rep. Salazar. “I am joining my colleagues across parties in urging Secretary Mayorkas to fix this mistake and allow Cubans who are escaping the Castro regime to receive parole so they can apply for residency and find safety in the Promised Land.”

In September 2023, the Biden Administration’s Board of Immigration Appeals announced that Cuban nationals released into the United States by border agents with an “order of release on recognizance,” or I-220A, at the southern border are ineligible to apply for permanent residency or work permits under the Cuban Adjustment Act.

This decision puts the status of hundreds of thousands of Cuban nationals who were released into the United States with the I-220A form at risk, especially of being deported back to Cuba.

The letter specifically requests Secretary Mayorkas grant all Cuban nationals who were released with the I-220A form a “Parole in Place” or PIP status. This action would finally allow these Cubans to be eligible for adjustment of status under the Cuban Adjustment Act.

Salazar has been leading the charge in Congress on this issue, and is thrilled to now have bipartisan support in asking the Administration to fix this. In a previous letter, she urged the Biden Administration to correct this mistake and give peace to Cubans escaping the horrors of the communist regime.

To read the full text of the letter, click HERE.

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