DHS, State Department seek to expand Central American Minors program

Enhancements to the Central American Minors (CAM) program would provide alternatives to perilous and irregular border migration, according to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Department of State officials.

The CAM program enables certain individuals in the United States to request access to the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP) for potential resettlement to the United States on behalf of their qualifying children in El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras.

The changes to the program would expand access to the program and streamline certain processes. Enhancements include allowing financial supporters to provide a sworn statement for CAM program cases, rather than requiring applicants to complete the Form I-134, Declaration of Financial Support.

“The Central American Minors program provides young, vulnerable children with a safe and orderly way to access humanitarian protection in the United States,” DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said. “Through expansion of this important program, we are strengthening lawful migration pathways so that individuals do not put their lives at risk in the hands of vicious smugglers.”

Additionally, per officials, CAM applicants interviewed between Aug. 16, 2017, and Jan. 31, 2018, who did not qualify for refugee status and were ineligible for parole consideration following the 2017 termination of the parole component of the CAM program will now be eligible to pursue parole.

“The United States is committed to promoting safe and orderly migration in our hemisphere, as we and partners in the region made clear in the Los Angeles Declaration,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said. “Beyond the thousands of cases we have processed since its reopening in 2021, we remain committed to seeking new ways to improving lawful pathways like the Central American Minors Program.”