Governor Ivey Leads Letter with 24 Governors in Demanding Biden Administration Provide Details of Participants in CHNV Asylum Program Affecting Alabama and Other States

October 9, 2024 - MONTGOMERY – Governor Kay Ivey on Tuesday led a letter, with 24 other governors, to President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris to express strong concern over the Biden-Harris Administration's Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans (CHNV) asylum program, and demanding details of location and status of those granted asylum under the program.

"The impact of this 'parole' program has been the sudden influx of foreign nationals throughout our states and communities," wrote the governors. "The unexplainable lack of any communication from your Administration over arrival times, duration of residency, legal status, and location of these 'parolees' has created considerable confusion and alarm among local officials and the general public. In the absence of direction from DHS, law enforcement and municipal leaders have often been left to rely upon news reports and social media posts to determine size and location of incoming migrant populations in order to assess what impact they may have on already limited government services including local public schools."

"As chief executives of our states directly responsible for the safety of our citizens and those who reside within our borders, we require a full accounting from the Biden-Harris Administration and DHS of the location and legal status of the parolee populations in our states. We further require information about the 'robust security vetting' DHS claims to have undertaken on each parolee, and we ask for the names and locations of the sponsors who have been granted guardianship over parolees. We also ask what system DHS has in place to monitor migrants and their sponsors and what assistance DHS is providing migrants."

In addition to Governor Ivey, the joint letter was signed by Governor Mike Dunleavy (AK), Governor Sarah Sanders (AR), Governor Ron DeSantis (FL), Governor Brian Kemp (GA), Governor Brad Little (ID), Governor Eric Holcomb (IN), Governor Kim Reynolds (IA), Governor Jeff Landry (LA), Governor Tate Reeves (MS), Governor Mike Parson (MO), Governor Greg Gianforte (MT), Governor Jim Pillen (NE), Governor Joe Lombardo (NV), Governor Chris Sununu (NH), Governor Doug Burgum (ND), Governor Kevin Stitt (OK), Governor Henry McMaster (SC), Governor Kristi Noem (SD), Governor Bill Lee (TN), Governor Spencer Cox (UT), Governor Glenn Youngkin (VA), Governor Jim Justice (WV), and Governor Mark Gordon (WY).