WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) joined U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley in cosponsoring the Immigration Parole Reform Act to restore integrity to immigration parole.
Sen. Tuberville cosponsored this legislation in the 118th Congress.
“The Biden administration made a habit of using dangerous loopholes to let more illegal immigrants into the country,” said Sen.Tuberville. “Giving parole to hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants is an abuse of power—President Trump is putting an end to this. I am proud to join this legislation that clarifies executive parole authority and will prevent future administrations from enabling an endless flow of dangerous criminals into our country.”
“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,” said Sen. Grassley.
Sens. Tuberville and Grassley are joined by Sens. Katie Britt (R-AL), Ted Budd (R-NC), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Tom Cotton (R-AR), Joni Ernst (R-IA), Josh Hawley (R-MO), James Lankford (R-OK), Mike Lee (R-UT), Bernie Moreno (R-OH), and Tim Sheehy (R-MT) in cosponsoring the bill.
Read full text of the legislation 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.
The Obama and Biden administrations abused this authority to bypass congressionally-established immigration pathways and admit entire categories of people. The previous administration exploited this authority to indiscriminately release an estimated 1.5 million immigrants into the U.S. On January 21, 2025, the Trump administration issued a directive restoring the immigration parole program back to Congress’ original intent.
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.
Senator Tommy Tuberville represents Alabama in the United States Senate and is a member of the Senate Armed Services, Agriculture, Veterans’ Affairs, HELP and Aging Committees.
###
