14 SEP 2021

Immigration Hub Applauds Biden Administration’s Progress on Reopening CAM to Manage Migration from the Region

Washington, DC — Yesterday, the U.S. Department of State and Department of Homeland Security announced the continued progress on reinstituting and improving the Central American Minors (CAM) program, which was terminated under the Trump administration, by officially reopening with trained partners to facilitate the processing of applicants and new eligibility expansions.

Sergio Gonzales, Executive Director of the Immigration Hub, responded to the announcement, “True to President Biden's blueprint to reset and rebuild America's immigration system, we commend his administration for moving forward an important program that will allow children to reunite with their loved ones. The CAM program is a vital piece to addressing migration in the region and creating a fair and orderly process for families fleeing violence and persecution. We encourage the administration to continue making major headway, as these critical immigration solutions will strengthen America's moral and economic recovery." 

The CAM program was established in 2014 by the Obama-Biden Administration to provide children fleeing persecution in Central America with a safe alternative to traveling to the U.S. southern border on their own or with smugglers. Although the program was successful - the U.S. saw a 45 percent decrease in FY2015 of the number of unaccompanied children from Central America apprehended at the southern border - Trump terminated it in 2017, leading to the arrival of tens of thousands of unaccompanied children who no longer had any mechanism to safely reunite with their parents. The reopening of CAM coupled with eligibility expansion will allow an increased number of parents and legal guardians to petition for the safe arrival of their children as long as they are living in the U.S. with lawful status such as lawful permanent residence, temporary protected status, parole, a pending asylum application or a U visa petition filed before May 15, 2021. The process begins when a qualifying adult files an application and extensive evidence establishing eligibility and the requisite relationship to a child. A specially trained USCIS officer then interviews the qualifying child and eligible family members, requires DNA relationshiptestingif individuals are claiming a biological parent-child relationship, and approves the application only after ensuring that all eligibility requirements are fulfilled. 

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The Immigration Hub is a national organization dedicated to advancing fair and just immigration policies through strategic leadership, innovative communications strategies, legislative advocacy and collaborative partnerships.