June 15, 2021
The following statement was issued by Dan Stein, president of the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), in response to the Departments of State and Homeland Security expanding the Central American Minors (CAM) program:
“Today’s joint announcement by the Departments of State and Homeland Security expanding the Central American Minors (CAM) program is nothing more than a blatant attempt by the Biden administration to perpetuate unchecked illegal immigration without the bad optics of the ongoing border crisis created by their policies.
“CAM represents a flagrant abuse of the executive branch’s parole authority by asserting that the president and his appointees have virtually unlimited authority to permit entry of broad categories of foreign nationals who are otherwise inadmissible under federal law.
“The expanded CAM program actually gives illegal aliens living in the United States preferential treatment in bringing family members to this country. While U.S. citizens and legal immigrants often wait years for permission to bring a relative to this country, CAM moves relatives of illegal aliens to the front of the line – and it does so at taxpayers’ expense. Under the program, the American public will pay to transport minors, who were left behind by parents who entered the United States illegally, to our country.
“Today’s announcement is a blatant attempt by the Biden administration to end the horrifying spectacle of children being smuggled to our border by criminal cartels that have been emboldened and enriched by the policies of this administration by having the United States government act as the delivery agent. Just about everybody in Central America who seeks to settle in this country will be able do so, regardless of the impact on American citizens and their communities.
“Not surprisingly, the architect of this latest attempt to subvert U.S. immigration laws and create de facto open borders is DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. Today’s action reaffirms FAIR’s call for the resignation or removal of Mayorkas from his post. He, and the damaging and illegal policies he has implemented, must go.”