Grassley Looks to Root Out Abuse of Immigration Parole Program

WASHINGTON – Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) today introduced the Immigration Parole Reform Act to restore integrity to immigration parole.

“The Obama and Biden administrations badly abused immigration parole, which was intended to be a temporary and highly discretionary means to enter our country. Under President Trump, parole will no longer be used as a loophole for illegal immigration. However, Congress must also act to prevent any future exploitation. My legislation would clarify the parole statute and ensure all future administrations are bound to Congress’ original intent,” Grassley said.

Specifically, the Immigration Parole Reform Act would:

• Ensure parole is granted on a case-by-case basis and not used to admit entire classes of people;
• Clearly define what qualifies as an “urgent humanitarian reason” or “significant public benefit” for purposes of granting parole;
• Guarantee parole is not used to adjust permanent resident status, or to obtain any other immigration benefit, and;
• Place limits on the time period of an initial grant of parole and allow only one extension.

Grassley is joined by Senate Judiciary Committee members Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), Mike Lee (R-Utah) and Katie Britt (R-Ala.), as well as Sens. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), Bill Cassidy (R-La.), Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio), Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Ted Budd (R-N.C.) and James Lankford (R-Okla.).

The full text of the bill is available HERE.

A section-by-section summary of the bill is available HERE.

Background:

Immigration parole, established by Congress in 1952, allows the executive branch to temporarily grant individuals entry into the United States on a limited, case-by-case basis for urgent humanitarian reasons or significant public benefit.

Several presidential administrations – particularly the Obama and Biden-Harris administrations – abused this authority to bypass congressionally-established immigration pathways and admit entire categories of people. The Biden-Harris administration exploited this authority to indiscriminately release an estimated 1.5 million immigrants into the United States. On January 21, 2025, the Trump administration issued a directive restoring the immigration parole program back to Congress’ original intent. 

Last Congress – despite the Biden administration having allowed over nine million migrants to illegally enter the country – Senate Democrats blocked Grassley’s Immigration Parole Reform Act.

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